Return of the Blue Spirit
by Zeratide
Summary: When he was needed, the Blue Spirit appeared to aid Avatar Aang. Afterward, he was not seen for decades. Now another Avatar needs the Blue Spirit, and another will don the mask. The Blue Spirit will rise again. Rated M for violence, eventual sexual themes. OCxLin, friendly OCxKorra.
1. Chapter 1

He breathed deeply through his nose, inhaling the scent of Republic City. The sprawling metropolis was a series of flashing lights in the night, and as he hid cloaked in shadow atop one of the several police blimps, he strove to pick out the lights that marked the district he was searching for.

"_Be advised, twelve Equalists are attacking a prison convoy. Requesting backup at…" _As the man on the police scanner hidden in his left ear relayed the location, he looked back at his goal, before looking in the direction of the attack.

"Damn."

* * *

"Damn."

Lin Beifong cursed angrily as her opponent dodged _another _attack with her cables. Performing her own dodge as one came from behind, she leapt into the air, twisting and firing her cables: one at the wall behind her assailant, and one at a farther wall to provide an anchor. With a hard yank, she retracted the cable, pulling a section of the wall down on two Equalists.

Upon landing, she found herself surrounded by the remaining assailants, her officers having been disabled. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

The sound of leather sliding on stone reached her ears, before she heard someone grunt in pain before hitting the ground. Her eyes snapped open and she saw a figure dressed in black weaving amongst the confused Equalists. He hit each with a lightning-fast flurry of chi blocking strikes, leaving them to fall limply to the ground. Taking advantage of their confusion, Lin lashed out with her cables, forcing two of them to smash heads and knock each other out. Rotating on the balls of her feet, she whipped around, forcing a chunk of wall to follow her as she turned-

-only to find her rescuer three inches from her face. He swiftly but gently pushed her arm away, and she gazed intently at the blue, grinning mask so close to her lips. A story stirred in the back of her mind, and she whispered, "The Blue Spirit…" He nodded slowly, before backing away, never breaking her gaze.

"While I do thank you, I can't have any vigilantes in my city. You realize I have to bring you in?" He nodded, still backing away, never breaking away, never breaking her gaze.

She fired her cables, and he leapt, landing like a trapeze artist on a wire, before running toward her. Before she could blink, he reached her and kicked her in the face, sending her head flying and her careening off-balance. He leapt again, pushing off on her shoulder, and landed on a rooftop and disappearing.

As Lin slowly rose, one of her officers who had regained consciousness asked, "Chief… who the hell was that?"

"…I don't know…"

* * *

Four hours and two hundred miles away, the Blue Spirit soared through the air, two flames emitting from his feet and propelling him forward. Every few seconds he released a small jet of flames from one of his hands, stabilizing his flight. (AN: Like Ozai during Sozin's Comet.) Spotting his current base, he cut the flames, moving forward for another twenty feet before he began his descent. As he fell, he fired off a few flames to slow his fall, until he landed on the roof, rolling to break his landing. Quickly and silently crawling across the roof, he held on with one hand as he swung himself over the edge, using his other hand to push open the window to his bedroom.

He swung in, his leather-clad feet landing with a soft thump on the old rug. Shedding his mask, he set the blue porcelain on his nightstand, before removing his black tunic, followed by the stiff leather jerkin underneath it.

"It has been many years since the Blue Spirit walked in Republic City," a raspy old voice said behind him, and he smiled, turning to face his father in his wheelchair.

"And last the Blue Spirit did, it was you who wore the mask. Did I wake you?" he asked gently, kneeling before the old man's wheelchair and resting his strong hands on the thin, old ones. Zuko's silver hair and fu manchu, both reaching down to his shoulders, gleamed in the moonlight, and a smile crossed his paper-thin lips.

"My son, as you age you will find that sleep comes and goes. I was awake for several hours before now," Zuko replied, resting his head on the back of his wheelchair. "Roku, I understand the lure of the Blue Spirit; I created him so I could go where I couldn't, do what I couldn't, as both the banished prince, and later as the Fire Lord. The Blue Spirit became a kind of freedom for me, and it nearly destroyed our family. Did I ever tell you the story?" he asked, his eyes half-lidded as his aged brain struggled to stay awake.

"No," Roku replied, gently grasping his father's hand in his and rubbing his thumb softly across the old man's knuckles. Though he had heard the story before, he would feel bad if he reminded his father of just _how_ old he was getting by pointing out his forgetfulness.

"It was the day you were born," he began, his eyelids drooping closed. "I had been talking with Aang and the council of Republic City about… I don't even remember, it was so trivial. But finally I just got so bored and angry that I stormed out, and went back to our house in the city…" Zuko was silent for a few seconds, before he began snoring lightly.

Roku smiled softly while a tear fell from his eye, before he rose and gently wheeled his father back to his room. Bending down, he carefully lifted the old man without waking him, before setting him down on his bed, glad that his father hadn't changed out of his night clothes. Pulling the covers up to his father's chin, Roku bent over his Zuko's form, lightly kissing his forehead. _Sleep well, father… we'll be in Republic City in three days._

* * *

Avatar Korra sat silently on the cliffs of Air Temple Island, gently inhaling the scent of the sea and listening to the crashing waves. She carefully slowed her breathing, as Tenzin had instructed, trying her best to meditate. Slowly, ever so slowly, she felt sound of the waves disappear, and a slight ringing began in the back of her ears.

"HEYKORRAKORRAKORRAKORRAKORRA!"

The ringing disappeared, and she was sucked back into her body so fast she felt as though she would vomit. Groaning in frustration, Korra opened her eyes, turning to look at Ikki, Tenzin's youngest and most… chatty, daughter. "What now, Ikki?" Ikki said a jumble of words so fast, that Korra was unable to comprehend them, and she grabbed the young girl by the shoulders, making her stop jumping. "One more time, but _slowly_," she said, and the young girl took a deep breath.

"Fire Lord Zuko is coming to Republic City to meet you!" With that, Ikki took off, running to parts unknown as Korra eyes widened in surprise. Rising to her feet, she quickly ran to the common, where she found Tenzin, Jinora, and Pema eating together.

"Is it true? Is Fire Lord Zuko really coming to meet me?" she asked excitedly, scaring Tenzin as she appeared behind him. The Airbender choked for a moment, before swallowing hard and gasping for air.

"Korra, don't startle me like that!" he said, rubbing his throat. Taking another deep breath, he continued. "Yes, the Fire Lord has expressed an interest in meeting you, but he is also coming to discuss the current situation involving the Equalists with the Council. He wants to talk to us about allowing his son to live here in Republic City and take an active role in protecting the city."

"I didn't know he had a son," Korra said with surprise, sitting down next to them.

"Oh yes," Jinora said matter-of-factly, glancing up from her book. "Prince Roku. He was born when Zuko and Mei were forty-two. Roku has caused a bit of a scandal back in the Fire Nation; he's forty-five, has no wife or children, and isn't seeking them out. A lot of the nobles believe that he's leaving his sister, Ursa, to carry on his family line."

"Is there anything else I should know about either of them?" Korra asked, digesting the information Jinora had given her. Tenzin was silent for a few minutes as he pondered what was important enough to tell Korra, before he did so.

"Zuko was the oldest of Team Avatar, and in his old age his body became rather weak as expected, to the point where he was confined to a wheelchair twenty years ago. Try not to bring it up; even though he is in a wheelchair he is still someone you do not want to anger. And as you know, Zuko was Aang's Firebending Teacher, so he will likely ask you to display your abilities in a Firebending match."

"How can he challenge me if he's in a wheelchair?" Korra asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion. Pema laughed at that, and Korra turned to her embarrassedly. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"Tenzin means that Zuko will have you face Roku, not himself." Her grin faded from her face, before she became serious. "Korra, you have to be very careful when you face Roku. While Roku is a scandal for his bachelor status, he's even more well-known for his Firebending prowess. Zuko himself has said that he's seen Roku do things that he thought a Firebender couldn't do without the aid of Sozin's Comet." She handed Korra a bowl of rice, and Korra began eating, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Pema is right, Korra," Tenzin chimed in, setting down his empty bowl as he finished eating. "When Azula escaped prison, it was Roku that was sent out to subdue her. Azula was a mad, dangerous Firebender that could likely have killed Aang at the height of his power without the Avatar state. Roku found her, fought her, and then killed her, having been unable to find another alternative. Roku is a master at bending because he is a master of non-lateral thinking; he can see connections between elements and techniques that no one else can."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked excitedly, amazed at the story.

"Well, you know that Toph created Metalbending by bending the residual particles of earth inside the metal? That's an example of non-lateral thinking. He can manipulate fire, lightning, magma and lava, and can even Metalbend, to an extent."

"How can he bend metal?"

"Well, he super-heats the metal to temperatures of over five thousand degrees Kelvin, before he absorbs all the heat in less than a second and disperses it into the ground, super-cooling the metal to absolute zero. That leaves it extremely brittle, to the point where it shatters under its own weight."

"You seem to know him very well," Korra said, shoveling rice into her mouth.

"As a matter of fact, yes. He, Lin, and I were good friends back during childhood, though he was five years younger than Lin and six years younger than me. We used to go on our own little adventures, but I haven't seen him since he was… oh, must have been around fifteen. I haven't seen him in thirty years, though he does send gifts to my children every year."

"That's terrible," Korra said, her expression sad. "Did you guys just sort of go your separate ways, or did something drive you apart?" Tenzin's expression hardened, and Korra silently bowed her head, knowing she had said too much.

"Roku will be here in three days. For today, I want you to practice your Airbending. Afterwards, I want you to make sure that you have some appropriately formal attire for meeting a dignitary. If it needs to be washed, do so. Meanwhile, the Air Acolytes will be cleaning up the island, so try not to get in their way."

"Yes, Master." Korra rose, and practically ran to the training ground, trying to contain her excitement.

* * *

Korra stood anxiously next to her Master and Lin Beifong as the Fire Nation ship docked at the harbor. She wore the same clothes she had worn to Councilman Tarrlok's gala, though she had added an Airbending pendant that hung around her neck. Shaking in anticipation, she stretched up onto her toes, trying to get a glimpse of Zuko. Lin shook her head, the hint of an amused smile ghosting across her lips.

A few minutes later, the procession slowly came filing out. Zuko was in the lead, being pushed in his wheelchair by a man of average height and build, dressed in full Fire Nation armor, complete with flanged helmet and mask. Zuko wore the regal robes he had worn during his entire career as Fire Lord, and even now that he was no longer the official Fire Lord.

Next to Zuko strode a tall, pompous-looking man dressed in similar robes. He had a long, thin nose that shadowed a pinched-up mouth that looked as if he had sucked on something bitter. His squinty eyes were a dull grey, and he looked at Tenzin and Korra with disdain. As the procession came to a halt, Zuko motioned for his assistant to wheel him forward.

"Tenzin… Lin… it is very good to see you again. You both look so much like your respective parents, it makes me feel…old." He laughed for a moment, and Korra was surprised at just how old he _sounded_. A moment later, he turned to face her. "It has been seventeen years since I sat beside Aang on his deathbed, comforting him and Katara. And yet, you stand here before me, and I feel as if he never left. I pay you my most sincere greetings, Avatar Korra. It is an honor to meet you." Zuko bowed as much as he could in his wheelchair, his assistant helping him back up.

"The honor is mine, Master Zuko," Korra said, bowing as well. "I've longed to meet you, ever since I was a little girl and Katara told me stories about Team Avatar." A grin settled across the old man's face, before the tall man beside him spoke.

"Indeed the honor _is_ yours," he said in a pompous voice to match his looks. "Why we had to come here is beyond me. I much prefer the Fire Nation to this… _city_."

"You must be Prince Roku," Korra said, trying to sound polite. She started slightly when a smooth, seductively deep voice came off from her left.

"If the stories about me say that I am as rude as my nephew Azulon, than I have been sorely misrepresented." She watched in fascination as Zuko's assistant pulled off his helmet, running a hand through his ebony hair. His hair was drawn back into a topknot, pierced with a simple steel bar, rather than the ornate gold she would have expected of Royalty. He was remarkably handsome; he looked almost exactly like what she imagined Zuko would have looked like without his scar. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Korra." They shook hands, and she was amazed at his strong grip.

"It's been a long time Tenzin," he said, turning to the Airbender. "I trust your children have gotten my gifts?"

"They have," Tenzin said, reaching out his hand. "It's very good to see you again, Roku. I have missed your friendship greatly these past thirty years."

Roku remained silent, though he showed enough respect as to shake Tenzin's hand. Turning to Lin, Korra saw his eyes soften slightly before he took her hand, brushing his lips against it. "It is wonderful to see you again after so many years, Lin. You are radiant as ever," Roku said, bowing to the Chief. Korra was amazed to see Lin's own eyes soften slightly before she smiled.

"Ever the charmer, Roku. I've heard you're quite popular with the ladies of the Fire Nation these days; you must be unable to leave the house without receiving marriage proposals." Roku laughed, a deep, booming sound that came from somewhere in his chest, and Lin shook her head amusedly.

"Roku, enough of your flirting," Azulon said, turning up his nose at the proceedings. "As my mother is the current Fire Lord, and not grandfather, it is _my_ responsibility to see that we get to our meeting on time, and you are holding us up."

"Yes, yes," Roku drawled in a bored tone, putting his helmet back on. "As you say, Prince Azulon. No need to be late to a meeting arranged by a co-founder of this city that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Fire Nation. Honestly Azulon, why you insisted on coming along with us is beyond me. You would quite honestly only worsen the situation."

"You insult me!" Azulon exclaimed, his face turning beet red as he stood taller in anger, trying to appear intimidating. Small flames appeared in his hands, and everyone save Zuko and Roku tensed.

"If you have a quarrel with me Azulon, then challenge me to an Agni Kai. Otherwise, put out your fires, whelp, and stand silent." Azulon glared angrily at the blank faceplate of the helmet, before he extinguished the flames and crossed his arms with a huff.

"Now," Roku said, walking back behind his father to push his wheelchair, "I believe we have a meeting to attend."

* * *

Well, there you guys have it! Review, and tell me how I did. Until next time!

-Zeratide, out.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everybody! Well, I'd say a fair amount of people liked this story, so here you go folks! Chapter 2 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

"_Now," Roku said, walking back behind his father to push his wheelchair, "I believe we have a meeting to attend."_

* * *

Roku stood silently behind his father's wheelchair as the Council went through the series of formalities that were associated with greeting royalty, especially a founder of the city. While they spoke, Roku surveyed each of them from behind his faceplate. _Tenzin I know best of all… and he is the one I cannot stand. Tarrlok… I don't trust him. His eyes betray some dark secret, and I will have to watch him closely. The others are too weak, too foolish to be a threat on their own. _Finally, the greetings were finished and they turned to him.

"What is it you wish to achieve here, Prince Roku?" Tarrlok asked him, feigning a bored look while his calculating eyes gleamed. "As you've likely heard, my task force has been dealing with the Equalists as of late with the aid of Avatar Korra."

"Yes, I've heard about how you abandoned Chief Beifong during her attempt to try and lure Amon into a trap on her own. If you actually gave a damn about this City rather than your influence here, Amon would be captured and I would not stand before you. You call yourself the bending elite, and yet you barely possess the skill to wash a Satomobile." The room went silent, and Tarrlok and Roku stared each other down. An cold smile split Tarrlok's dark-skinned face, and Roku saw him reach for his water pouch. Jabbing his arm forward, he twisted his wrist and activated the device his mother had made; a spring-loaded relay of knives that could be fired rapidly with great accuracy. The knife flew from the gauntlet attached to his arm, and stabbed Tarrlok's hand, stopping halfway through.

"Roku!" Zuko roared as Tarrlok shouted in pain. "I raised you better than to attack a Councilman. Remove your gauntlets, and surrender them to me." Roku did so, and Zuko sighed. "Leave us, Roku. Please." Roku bowed ashamedly, before he filed out of the building.

"Excuse me, but I have to leave as well," Lin said, bowing out before leaving. Gazing around, she saw Roku sitting at the foot of a pillar, watching the flow of people. "After all these years, you still fear your father that much?" she asked, sitting down next to him. A wry grin worked its way across his handsome face, and she found herself smiling as well.

"I never feared my father," he said simply. "I respect my father. I love my father. When my mother died while I was seven, dad needed to be cared for as much as I did. He was heartbroken, so we became very close. Dad taught me his techniques, I honed what mom had managed to teach me before her death, I mastered the acrobatic and fighting style my 'Aunt' Ty Lee practiced, and I developed my techniques further through years of practice until I became as powerful as you've no doubt heard in rumor." Lin laughed then, turning to gaze at the passersby as well.

"I heard that you trained with Aang near the end. Is that true?"

"Yes. I trained under Aang. He taught me the spiritual side of bending, taught me Avatar-level Firebending, and he taught me many things I can never reveal, save to Korra. Apparently he had a vision that I would aid Korra, and decided to pass on knowledge to her with me as a conduit."

"Hnhh," Lin grunted, rolling her neck. "Even if you are here to see Korra, having you on our side _will _help us here. I got my ass handed to me more easily than I would like to admit, and your abilities are likely the only thing that will give the Equalists pause. Facing a man who is able to manipulate fire like you would give _me_ pause."

"I remember when you were thirteen and you got paid to babysit my eight-year-old ass. Looks like you're starting to get old, lady." He laughed as Lin punched his shoulder, hard, before he slowly got to his feet, wincing as he rubbed his side. "Of course, I'm not as young as I used to be either. I took a pretty bad electric shock in a spar, and I've been in pain for days." Lin gave him a sympathetic nod, before bending her gauntlet-sleeves off to show where the Equalists had zapped her arms. "Damn," Roku murmured, probing the spots with gentle fingers. Lin hissed in pain as he pressed the bruises, and he pulled out a small vial of ointment in a pouch at his side. "Here," he said as he rubbed it on, "this ought to cool the skin and help it recover faster."

"Thank you," she said gruffly, bending the metal back into place. She took to the ointment and tucked it into one of her own pouches before getting up as well. "I'm afraid I have to cut this little reunion short, Roku. My officers need me, and I have to catch Amon." Without giving him enough time to say goodbye, she turned and stormed off, leaving him to wonder what he had done wrong.

* * *

"What emotion is associated most with Firebending, Korra?" Roku asked. A day had passed, and the two stood at opposite sides of a large courtyard behind the Council Building, surrounded by the Councilmen, Fire Nation representatives, Korra's friends, Lin Beifong, and assorted other people of note. Roku had given Korra standard Fire Nation armor to change into, and she had done so, leaving off the hood and mask. Roku himself stood bare-chested, wearing the lower half of his armor and also leaving off his hood and mask. His body was compact, rather than bulky; his muscles were clearly defined, but did not become too large or cumbersome to prevent him from performing any acrobatic maneuvers he could think of.

"Anger," the young Avatar replied, her voice betraying her confusion. She had already learned this; why was she being quizzed? "Firebending relies on a person's intense emotions, as reflected by the intensity of the attack."

"Very good. The trick to Firebending, as you know, is to not only release your emotions, but focus them. Being able to throw fire around is good and all, but if you surrender your logic to your anger, you become as my Aunt Azula was; mad, dangerous, and a shell of what you were. In my case, I focus my emotions not on anger or hate, but on my feelings for one woman I knew very long ago." A flash of jet-black hair and a tinkling laugh crossed his mind for a moment, before he turned back outward. "When manipulating your element, you are limited only by your imagination. You were born of the Water Tribes, and thus are associated with Waterbending. One woman reasoned that if you could manipulate water, then you could manipulate the water in a person's blood and control them, and thus was Bloodbending invented. Toph figured out how to bend metal through the manipulation of the remaining earth particles within. I have a working knowledge of how this world is made, and therefore I can manipulate anything if I am in the right mindset. Observe." Reaching his hands forward, he took a stance similar to an Earthbender; knees bent, feet shoulder-width apart, elbows tucked in close to his chest. Closing his eyes, he yanked his arms back toward his body, and rain began pouring down on them from several feet above their heads.

"How did you do that?" Korra asked in amazement as she watched the water fall to the ground. Panting lightly, Roku shook his now-wet bangs out of his eyes before answering.

"Everything in this world is made up of miniscule particles called atoms. The atoms are in constant motion, and a result of that motion is energy, and a result of that energy is heat. There are three types of matter known; there are solids, gases, and liquids. Liquids are more energetic than solids, and gases are more energetic than liquids. What I did was absorb the heat, and therefore the energy, from the water vapor in the air. As a result, the gas cooled into a liquid, and the resulting water took the form of rain, which you just witnessed. Fire Lord Sozin performed a similar technique when attempting to save Avatar Roku's home; he redirected the heat of the lava in the erupting volcano, cooling most of it to stone. Anyway, since water is a very easy compound to work with, it took very little preparation. If I were to attempt to manipulate a more complex compound, it would take a great deal of preparation. That's why I usually prefer to flash-freeze metal." Korra rubbed her head as she tried to absorb all of the information, before Roku ceased pacing, and turned to face her directly.

"Come at me, Korra. Use only Firebending, and do not hold back. Come at me with intent to kill, and I will see just how much of a master you are." He took a basic Firebending stance, and she followed suit. The observers fell silent, waiting with baited breath.

Korra made the first move. Launching her fist forward, she created a large ball of fire that flew toward Roku at impossible speeds. Launching forward, Roku reared his head back and breathed a large gout of fire, splitting her attack and sending the waves passing harmlessly on either side. Whipping his arms around in an almost Waterbender-esque maneuver, Roku redirected her own flames back at her, forcing her to backpedal. Jumping high in the air, he performed two swift kicks, sending wide arcs of flames toward her. Korra rolled to her side, swinging her arm in a haymaker maneuver as she rose, sending her own wide flames at the Master. Roku charged forward and slid, the flames passing mere centimeters above his face.

As Roku came out of the slide, he performed a modified Earthbending stomp; rather than ceasing his movement when his foot slammed into the ground, he slid it forward, spraying a sweeping carpet of flames over the ground, forcing her to jump into the air to avoid burning her feet. The maneuver left her open for attack, however, which Roku took advantage of. With a quick one-two strike, he sent two small flames at her, which Korra managed to ingeniously dodge by launching two jets of fire from her right leg and right hand, sending her careening to the left. She hit the ground hard and rolled, trying to get to her feet.

As she rose to her knees, she found Roku standing before her. Before she could move, he rammed his hands into her in a familiar position; one thumb on her heart, and one on her forehead. Her eyes widened with fear, and in her mind the handsome face was replaced with the horrific mask of Amon. Roku remained in the position for several seconds, before he lowered his hands and backed away as Tenzin ran forward to protect his student. "If I were Amon…" he said slowly, rolling his neck, "I would have just stolen your bending abilities. You are a skilled Firebender, but you are not a Master. You need to learn non-bending combat techniques, which I will teach you. Furthermore, I will hone your Firebending abilities so that you will be able to utilize more advanced techniques. Lightning will be first, I think, then vertical propulsion…" Roku slowly left the field, talking to himself the whole while about his plans.

* * *

Lin watched the Firebending display the entire time with a calculating expression. She observed each attack with an eye honed by years on the job, and thus was amazed at how unpredictable Roku was. He was utterly fearless; as soon as the fight began, his face lost all expression, and he was silent throughout, the perfect warrior. He mixed movements from different bending styles into unpredictable Firebending attacks. She watched in amazement as he used an Earthbender's stomp, and was even more amazed when her seismic sense revealed that his point of balance and the pressure patterns of his feet were identical to her own when she performed the technique; somehow, he had managed to copy her technique flawlessly. She wondered at the significance of it, before she saw him grab Korra in a position she had only seen once; the position Amon had taken when he removed the White Falls Wolfbats' Bending. She watched as Roku spoke, before he finally left. Glancing at everyone swarming Korra, she followed him as he left.

* * *

Roku returned quietly to the home he had been issued after Zuko smoothed things out with the Council. It was a modest-sized building on the outskirt of the City, allotting him the necessary privacy for him to conduct his secret missions. A medium-sized training field had been prepped behind it, and he had moved all of his possessions, few though they were, into the building. As he reached his front door, he turned around, watching Lin walk toward him. "Would you like to come in for a drink?" he asked when she was closer.

"That would be nice," Lin said, brushing her hair behind her ear. Unlocking the door, Roku stood aside and let her past, allowing her to view his home. It was lightly furnished, and an assortment of exercise equipment, weapons, and photos were placed here and there in an appealing design. She picked up a frame, and observed the photo as he walked past her. The old photograph had yellowed slightly at the corners, but she smiled when she saw that it was of the two of them when they were fifteen and twenty. She wore a white dress, and had her arm wrapped around his. Her hair was still its ebony black, so like her mother's, and it was woven with flowers. Roku was dressed in the usual robes of Fire Nation royalty, something he had almost never worn. He had been captured laughing at a joke long forgotten, and her eyes softened at the happy expression on her own face.

"That photo is one of my favorites," Roku said, and she turned to see him leaning against the wall of the hallway leading to the kitchen. He offered her a cup of tea, and she accepted it, trading the photo for the cup. Roku held it in his hand silently for a while, before he set it back in its place. "That was the night of my fifteenth birthday, do you remember? The age at which a Fire Nation boy is considered a man…" he cleared his throat, taking a sip of his tea as he led her to the living room.

"As I recall, I was your date," Lin said, taking a seat on a well-cushioned couch. "You'll probably think this is crazy, but I had a huge crush on you back then."

"I knew," Roku said, taking another sip of tea as he sunk into an armchair. "I loved you. I was planning on proposing to you that night." He observed Lin's look of shock, and set his empty cup silently on the coffee table. "And then Tenzin asked you out when I went to get you a drink. You remember how I fumbled a bit when I brought back our drinks? I had placed the ring in the one I was going to give to you, but since you were taken I had to take that one instead and hide the ring before you saw it."

"I'm so sorry," Lin said, reaching toward him and grasping his right hand in her left. "For the record, if I had known, and if he had known, I'm sure that never would have happened. I would have married you in a heartbeat."

"He _did_ know." Roku said the words so quietly, Lin missed them, but he betrayed nothing in his expression as he ran a thumb over the ridges of her knuckles. _I told Tenzin because he was my best friend. I went to him for advice on how to propose properly, and he stabbed me in the back. Worst of all, he later broke up with Lin in order to date, and eventually marry, Pema._ In the back of his mind, he knew that Tenzin had been stupid then, even if he had always been calm, but the knowledge did nothing to ease the pain of the betrayal.

For several more hours they talked, until the sun sunk over the horizon and night began to fall. "I have to go now," Lin said, standing up. "My officers and I are planning on searching Cabbage Corporation's warehouses tonight. We received an anonymous tip that the company might be responsible for manufacturing some of the Equalists' latest weapons.

"Well, stay safe," he said, walking her to the door. As he opened it, he decided to go for broke. "Lin, if you aren't doing anything tomorrow night, would you care to join me for dinner at Kuang's?" She paused for a minute, and smiled, before nodding. "I'd like that," she said. She left, and Roku closed the door behind her, truly happy for the first time in years.

* * *

Well, there you go guys. Let the record show that I'm not trying to make Tenzin into a jerk; I quite like him. Rather, I'm going with a kind of stupid-young-man-who-becomes-wise-with-age thing. Review, and let me know how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter. Without further ado, here's Chapter 3 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

"_Well, stay safe," he said, walking her to the door. As he opened it, he decided to go for broke. "Lin, if you aren't doing anything tomorrow night, would you care to join me for dinner at Kuang's?" She paused for a minute, and smiled, before nodding. "I'd like that," she said. She left, and Roku closed the door behind her, truly happy for the first time in years._

* * *

An hour later, Roku stood upon one of the Police blimps, dressed in his Blue Spirit armor. His eyes scoured the city below, looking for any sign of Equalist movement. The police scanner in his left ear remained silent, giving him no leads. Crouching down, he pulled on a cable lying on the top of the blimp, and rappelled down it until he was hanging silently by one of the access windows, the wind whipping his clothes around. Reaching forward, he grabbed onto the window sill and pulled himself flush against the side of the blimp, keeping low so the darkness obscured him from those inside. He lowered himself further, until he was hanging by his fingertips from the ramp the officers would jump from upon exiting the blimp. Just as he was about to let go, the door opened up, light pouring from the doorway.

"Alright men," Lin's voice called out, and Roku silently cursed as he tried to stealthily adjust his position to avoid having his fingers spotted. "We've got the warrants to search the place, but we have to move fast. If this is an Equalist hideout, they will run as soon as they know we are coming. Lock your cables, and prepare for descent." Roku heard the click of the cables, and knew that as soon as they leapt, they would see the white lines of his mask standing out in stunning relief against the ship. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he swung his body back, before hurling himself underneath the ship just as the police dropped.

The wind whistled in his ears as he fell, and the ground seemed to be moving at him at an incredible speed. The blimp had been only a hundred feet above the warehouse at the time, but when he landed he felt his bones flare in pain, even as he rolled to break his fall. The sound was loud enough to attract the attention of the police, and he saw several of them begin swinging toward him as they rappelled. Beginning to try and run, he hissed in pain as his right ankle gave out, and he fell hard against the steel roof next to a skylight. Turning back to see the police gaining on him, he drew one of the Dao swords from the sheath on his back, and smashed the glass with a pommel strike before sheathing it. He pulled himself through, the broken glass tearing at his tunic and thick jerkin, and pulled one of the climbing hooks from his belt, attaching it to a frame of the building and sliding along the large steel arc. (AN: Anyone familiar with architecture knows that steel warehouses tend to be a series of arcs, or frames, held together by the sheet metal walls.) He reached the top of one of the towers of metal boxes, and slowly climbed down to floor level just as the officers managed to enter the warehouse from the front.

"What did you see?" Lin's voice said to someone beyond his sight.

"We saw someone wearing dark clothes on the roof of the warehouse. Had on some weird mask. Might be a new rank of Equalist."

"Was the mask blue? Resemble one from the Earth Nation operas?" Lin's voice seemed to move through the building, and Roku cursed; they were looking for him.

"Yeah. Wait a minute; is he that Blue Spirit guy you asked the archivist to get you documents on?"

"Yes. A few days ago, when the Equalists attacked the convoy, he showed up and helped me defeat them. He claimed to be the Blue Spirit, someone I had heard about from Aang's old stories. Aang never told me who the Blue Spirit was, but I am positive that whoever it is must have some kind of connection to the previous one. I wanted to know what I could about the old Blue Spirit, but all I managed to find was a report written by an Admiral Zhao during the war, mentioning that the Blue Spirit stole Aang from Fire Nation custody, and the resulting wanted poster. No mention before or after."

_So you _do _do your homework, Lin,_ he thought as he slowly began weaving through the crates to the front of the building. _Yes, dad stole Aang from Zhao. Probably the only known instance of the Blue Spirit's involvement in history. But dad used the mask afterward, when he was running across the rooftops of Republic City and didn't want to be seen. The Blue Spirit was in this city for decades, and no one knew._

"Enough of this," Lin snapped, and Roku heard the familiar sound of her metal shoe sliding back to reveal her bare foot. A moment later, he heard the soft thump of flesh hitting the concrete floor, and he knew her seismic sense would pick him up at any moment. Quickly adjusting his stance and where he put the pressure on his feet, so as to hide his seismic identity from her, he felt the slightest ripple through his toes before he heard her exclamation of her discovery. Hissing in anger, he shot out from between the crates, forcing himself to ignore the pain in his foot as he dodged a cable launched at him from one of the rookies. As the cable retracted, he grabbed onto it, allowing himself to be yanked forward and slamming his good foot into the nose of the now-surprised cop.

As the man howled in pain, Roku pulled a knife from his belt and hurled it at Lin, purposefully aiming to miss her non-dominant shoulder by several inches, making it look as if he had had little time to accurately prepare the throw. He berated his stupidity a moment later when she hurled it back at him via Metalbending. _And that is why I don't wear metal armor,_ he thought, leaning slightly to his side to avoid the blade. Reaching to his belt again, he threw down a knockout smoke bomb before making a quick series of movements. Before Lin could use her seismic sense to find and capture him in her few remaining seconds of consciousness, he leapt to the top of one stack of crates, jumping from one to the other as quickly as he could. Next, he pulled his climbing hook from his belt and leapt again, catching the frame and using the hook to help him climb before her seismic sense caught up with him. Pulling himself through the broken skylight, he quickly knocked the two men guarding it unconscious via chi-blocking strikes, and pulled enough of their cables out to tie them to the roof to assure their safety. Finally, after making sure that no one could see him, he used his Firebending to quickly fly away.

* * *

Lin swore angrily as she came to, finding that the Blue Spirit had escaped yet again. Sighing a moment later, she ordered her men to do what they had come to do; search the crates for any Equalist paraphernalia. Once the gloves were found, she began the lengthy process of the arrest, fuming the whole while at having been bested once again.

* * *

Roku groaned in pain as he entered his house from a window on what was technically the third story, since the building had a basement that extended ten feet below ground. Rather than enter gracefully, he flopped unceremoniously through the window and landed on the carpet below. "Hello, dad," he said, his voice muffled by both the mask and the carpet.

"Rough night?" Zuko asked, wheeling over to his son. Roku managed to lift himself to his feet, before hobbling onto a chair. Looking around, he saw that he had climbed into the guest bedroom, where Zuko had evidently decided to spend the night. As his son nodded, Zuko sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Roku, I know you want to try and carry on my legacy as much as possible, but the world is more advanced than it was in my time. The Blue Spirit must either advance as well, or fade and die. I'm not saying you have to dress like the Equalists and carry their weapons, but you need to upgrade the outfit. Judging by the angle you have your foot in, you nearly broke it from a long-distance fall, during which you were in a situation where you didn't have the freedom to Firebend. Why don't you try adding an ejectable glider to the back? You could upgrade your climbing apparatus too; why don't you try making a gas-powered version of the police's cables?"

"I'll try that in the morning," Roku said as he sat up. "I know I need to upgrade, but if I put metal into the outfit then it would be easy for a Metalbender to manipulate it to bind me. I suppose I could try changing it from an outfit to a suit." Roku slowly began hobbling out, before Zuko spoke one final time.

"I heard that you asked Lin out on a date… I am glad that you two are back together, son. I've never seen you as happy as you were when you were with her all those years ago."

* * *

Lin stood in front of Korra's door on Air Temple Island, her hand raised to knock, but unable to do so. Yet again, she lowered her hand, and smacked her palm lightly against her forehead. _Why the hell am I here?_ she thought, raising her hand yet again. She paused for a few moments, before groaning and smacking her head against the door. A moment later, she realized what she had done and jumped back, covering her mouth with her hand and staring at the door embarrassedly. When no one answered, she sighed, relieved, and straightened back up. _She's not here._

"Hey Lin, what's up?" Korra's voice called to her left, and Lin jumped as she saw the Avatar and Asami round the corner, watching her curiously. Lin stammered for a few moments, before she smacked herself in the forehead again, taking a deep breath.

"I need your…help." She shuddered slightly as she spoke the words, and the girls gave her a confused look. "I… have a date, and I, uh… well, I'm not skilled with my hair, or all that feminine, so I… uh…" Asami squealed excitedly, before Lin felt her being dragged by the arm to the girl's room, Korra hot on their trail. Asami sat her in a chair, and began berating her with questions, which Lin tried to answer before the girl moved onto another one. Korra began asking her own questions, and Lin felt the sudden urge to try and claw herself out.

"Is there a specific look you wanted?" Korra finally asked as Asami began pulling out numerous brushes and makeup supplies from her shoulder bag. Lin sighed, finally being able to answer a question, and held up a photograph for the both of them to see. Asami observed it for a few seconds, before nodding and beginning to work. "Is this you and Roku?" Korra asked, observing the photo more closely, and Lin nodded, before Asami pushed her head firmly back into position, ignoring Lin's withering glare.

"Yes," Lin said through gritted teeth as Asami pulled a brush through her thick hair. "He and I were good friends back in our youth."

"Looks like you were closer than that," Korra said, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Looks like a fifteenth birthday celebration. In the Fire Nation, that's usually when a boy is considered a man. The birthday boy would usually be escorted by a parent or sibling, but in rare cases they might be escorted by…" Korra's eyes widened, and her mouth formed into an O. "He was going to propose to you!"

Lin cried out in pain as Asami jerked in surprise, catching the brush in the Chief's hair and yanking her head forward. "Owowowowow!" Lin shouted as Asami tried to extricate the brush from the woman's hair. A few seconds later she succeeded, and Lin rubbed her scalp in pain. "Yes, he told me that he was going to propose. Had I known then, I would not have agreed to date Tenzin when he asked me out."

"So THAT'S why they didn't speak for thirty years!" Korra exclaimed, smacking one hand against her opposite palm. "I should have figured, it's always a woman that men fight over." Lin glared at Korra once again, before time faded away in a flurry of hair, makeup, and the two girls' giggling.

* * *

Roku and Zuko sat in front of a table in the basement, pouring through dozens of manuals, designs, and various engineering paraphernalia. "Now what if you were to try and use the focal design in the Equalists' shock gloves to channel your lightning manipulation into your palm? Gives you an excuse to use lightning without actually appearing to be a Bender," Zuko said, sketching out a design on a blank piece of paper.

"Are we talking about electric punches, or a ranged attack? If I wanted to use both, I would have to either assign each to a specific hand, or create a secondary circuit." Zuko pondered the question for a few seconds, before Azulon came down the stairs, turning up his nose at the two.

"You asked me to tell you when it was four o'clock, so you had time to prepare. It is now four o'clock," he said in a bored tone as he pointedly ignored the paraphernalia scattered on the table. Roku nodded, before he lifted his father out of his wheelchair, the old man wrapping his arms around his son's neck as he was carried up the stairs. Azulon dutifully carried up the wheelchair, and the two carefully set Zuko back into it on the ground floor. Azulon stepped back, before bowing his head slightly to his grandfather. "As per usual, I will keep your secrets to myself. Is there anything else you need?"

"We're good here. Thank you, Azulon," Roku said, bowing slightly in turn to his nephew. The man scoffed, before leaving him and Zuko alone. Roku ran up the stairs two at a time, barging into his room as his father used the built-in elevator to ascend as well. Roku barged into his room as Zuko made it out, and the old man wheeled into his son's room to help him find an appropriate outfit. Roku pulled out a couple of robes, showing them to his father, but Zuko shot them all down. Roku pulled a suit out from the back of the closet, and Zuko nodded, leaving while his son began to change.

A half-hour later, Roku came down the stairs, displaying his attire for his father's judgment. He wore black dress pants, a pair of black shoes with silver and red trimming, and a grey button-up shirt. Over the shirt he wore a red silk vest with black ornamental stitching in the shape of the Fire Nation symbol on his chest. Flame-shaped cufflinks shined at his wrist, and he held a black sports jacket over his right shoulder with two fingers, jokingly posing like a model. His hair was pulled back into a topknot, and he had it pierced with the Crown Prince Headpiece, which his namesake had worn in his own lifetime. Zuko smiled, before motioning for his son to bend to hug him.

"Now, remember, be polite. Kiss her on the cheek when you see her, and open doors. Tip big at Kuang's, and just try to show them that you're wealthy. They see you're wealthy, they'll go out of their way to please you, which will mean they'll try to please her too. That makes it easier to make the date more memorable."

"I think I've gone on enough dates to know what to do," Roku laughed, giving his father a kiss on the forehead. "Don't wait up!" he called as he ran out the door to the garage. Opening the double doors, he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. "God, I love my life."

* * *

Lin stood in the hallway of her small home, staring at herself in the mirror. Just like it had been in the photo, she had her hair woven with flowers. She had also found the same white dress in her closet, and tried it on, finding to no small amount of pride that she still fit in it. She nervously looked at the few lines and wrinkles of her skin, allowing herself a small moment of vanity. _Spirits, it's been so long since I've been on a date. I look old._ She heard a knock on her door, and took a deep breath, walking over and opening it. Giving Roku a small smile, she blushed slightly when she heard him whisper, "Wow…" He shook his head as if to clear it of flies, and took her hand, kissing her cheek. "You look incredible," he said, unable to keep his eyes off her. "I… wow. Right, well, shall we go then?" She nodded, and looped her arm in his as he led her to a brand new Satomobile, still gleaming. He opened her door for her, before sliding across the hood and hopping into the driver's seat.

The drive was short, and they chatted about meaningless things. Once they arrived, Roku handed the valet his keys, and escorted Lin into the restaurant. "Ah, Prince Roku!" a well-dressed, overweight man exclaimed, waddling over to greet them. "Your reservations are all set, and you are right on time! We have arranged for a deluxe dining area for your pleasure." He quickly led them to their table, next to an aesthetic fountain-ivy display. Roku pulled out Lin's chair for her as the man continued talking. "Here are your menus, and if you need anything, anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask!" The man bowed, his hand slightly forward in a subtle suggestion, and Roku reached into his pocket, giving him a few hundred Yuans. The man's eyes bulged out of his head as he counted the amount of money, before he bowed once more, even lower, waddling away to the kitchen.

"What do you think the odds are that they'll give us some free wine?" Roku joked, knowing that Lin had noticed his generous tip. The woman laughed at that, before opening her menu and leaning her head gently on one hand as she read through it. Roku stared at her for a few moments, his mouth dry, before he swallowed hard and turned his attention to his own menu. He figured out his choice just as the waiter returned, bearing a bottle of wine just as Roku had predicted he would. "On the house," the man cheerfully announced, setting the bottle and two glasses before pouring them. "Now, what would you like to eat?"

"I'll have the komodo chicken and chili, with the rice curry and leechi nuts." The man jotted down his order, before turning to Lin. "I'll have the roast duck with sorrel sauce, and a side of moon peaches." Once more the orders were jotted down, before he bowed out and hurried to the kitchen.

"Prince Roku, I have a message for you from your father," a man said, and he turned in his seat to see a page bowed before him, holding an envelope in front of himself. Roku took it, and tore it open quickly, pulling out the memo inside and reading it.

_Roku, I know you were planning on proposing to Lin thirty years ago. I would like to have more grandchildren, and I am bored, so look in your left jacket pocket and have fun!_

_-Zuko._

Roku casually reached into his pocket as instructed, and froze when he felt a metal ring. Lin gave him a strange look as he folded the paper and put it into his pocket, slipping the ring into his hand as he did. "Thank you," he said, and the page bowed once more, before hurrying out. Roku casually glanced at his hand, observing the ring as he did. It was an ornate gold band with a medium-sized inset diamond in the middle, flanked by two small rubies. He sighed when he recognized it as the one he had planned on giving her thirty years ago.

"Is everything all right?" Lin asked, leaning forward and reaching for his hand. Roku slipped it between his fingers in a skilled sleight-of-hand maneuver as he took her fingers, brushing his lips against her knuckles.

"Everything is fine. I'm just amazed that I'm sitting here with the most beautiful woman in all the Elemental Nations." A deep, crimson blush settled on Lin's cheeks, and he kissed her hand again, noticing a man in his peripheral vision walking toward them with his right arm draped with a cloth and a bottle of wine in his left hand, a blank expression on his face. Roku smiled, and raised his wineglass, extricating his hand and stealthily tucking the ring into his pocket, before summoning a spark to his fingertips. "To bending," he said, and shot a blast of lightning from his left hand as he drank, hurling the Equalist clear across the restaurant, revealing the Shock Glove beneath the cloth. Unlike standard lightning benders, he did not use two fingers to direct it; the electricity flew from his entire hand, encompassing his palm and fingers.

Roku sprang to action as a number of "patrons" rose out of their seats, launching toward the two. With a quick jab, he sent a controlled burst of flames into the chest of one Equalist, sending him spinning into the one of the decorative waterfalls. A chi-blocker aimed a series of strikes at his body, and he deflected the strikes, allowing them to hit harmless points on his body. A powerful uppercut resulted in his fist colliding with the woman's jaw, and laid her out, unconscious. "For the record, I don't normally hit women!" he shouted to Lin as another Equalist came at him. Lin, who was squaring off against two chi-blockers herself, rolled her eyes before sending some metal chairs colliding into the chi-blockers' skulls, knocking them out in turn.

* * *

"Your meals, Prince Ro… what the hell is going on here?" the waiter screamed as he saw policemen binding up the Equalists while Lin and Roku casually drank. Roku flashed some more Yuans, and the man swallowed hard, before setting the food down. The two began eating, and Lin casually stole a small portion of his food. Roku began laughing as her face scrunched up, before she quickly swallowed down her wine, gasping once she was finished.

"Spirits, that's hot!" she exclaimed, panting.

"Fire Nation food is known for its spicy nature. I probably should have told you that when I ordered, but then again I didn't know you would go and steal it." He laughed again as she glared at him, before a grin split her stony features.

"You know, you're sitting on a metal chair," she said, casually taking a sip from her wine, and before he had a chance to move, she jerked a finger forward, sending the chair flying with him in it, splashing into the decorative pool. He came up, spluttering as Lin walked over, offering a hand to help him out. Brushing his wet hair out of his eyes, he took it, a wicked grin splitting his own features as he yanked her in as well. She yelped as she splashed in, her white dress sticking to her body and become rather revealing, before she splashed him.

"That's enough!" the waiter roared, walking out with the owner of the restaurant. "Sir, I must ask you to leave immediately! You have destroyed this restaurant, and the pool is for decoration, and you two do not even have swimwear!" Roku grabbed his jacket, which thankfully had landed outside of the water, and pulled out his checkbook, writing a check. "It is not a matter of money!"

"No, I don't think you understand," Roku said, tucking the check into the owner's shirt pocket. "I'm buying this restaurant, and changing a few of the rules, starting with the pool area." Grinning at their looks of dumb shock, he looped his arm with Lin's before walking her out to the car, the two laughing the entire way. "I'm sorry that tonight didn't go so well, he told her, opening the door.

"This was by far the most fun I've had in years," she said, taking her seat. "I wish that you had proposed all those years ago. We could have this kind of fun every night." At her words, Roku hesitated with closing the door, and instead fell down to one knee, pulling the ring from his pocket.

"Lin Beifong, will you marry me?"

* * *

Hope you liked it, guys. Review and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! I'm sorry about the cliffhanger, but I believe that that was enough to get a few good reviews. Without further ado, here is Chapter 4 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

_"This was by far the most fun I've had in years," she said, taking her seat. "I wish that you had proposed all those years ago. We could have this kind of fun every night." At her words, Roku hesitated with closing the door, and instead fell down to one knee, pulling the ring from his pocket._

_"Lin Beifong, will you marry me?"_

* * *

Lin stared at Roku with a confused, disbelieving expression, her mouth hanging slightly open. Each second seemed an eternity to him, and finally after two or three seconds, Lin did something that surprised him. Reaching forward, she slapped him with her right hand, before grabbing him by the collar with the same hand and yanking him forward into a searing kiss. He surrendered to her lips, and after a few seconds they broke apart, Lin resting her forehead against his.

"Yes."

* * *

Zuko had left Roku's house for the considerably large building he owned in Republic City, the result of his co-founder status. He currently sat in his wheelchair on the roof, gazing silently out at the night sky. The sound of soft footsteps came from behind him, and he adjusted slightly in his chair, turning around as they came to a halt. "Did the date not go well?" he asked as he turned. His soft expression hardened as he saw the familiar, angular mask of Amon hovering, disembodied, in the darkness. Amon was silent, tilting his head slightly to the side as if in curiosity.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he said in his smooth voice. "Although, I suppose that title is antiquated since you elected your daughter Fire Lord." Zuko remained silent, calmly watching Amon take slow, measured steps forward, his clothing coming to view as he stepped into the candlelight. "I came alone, that we might speak civilly. Despite your current frailty, you were great once, and I can respect your power at the very least, even if I don't like it."

"So you are here to take my bending?" Zuko scoffed, shaking his head and spreading his arms out to the side. "Go right ahead, Amon. I haven't used it in twenty years. You take nothing from me." Amon nodded slowly, reaching into the folds of his clothes, drawing forth an old, tattered paper. The masked man silently handed the item to Zuko, and the old man's blood hilled as he saw a familiar wanted poster, bearing a familiar blue mask.

"I know about your son's alternate identity. I also know of his feelings for Lin Beifong. Now, just what do you think would happen to them both if the truth got out?" Zuko's hands slowly curled into fists in his lap, and his nostrils flared in anger. "When I leave here tonight, you will be unable to Bend anymore. Nothing will change that. However, you can either surrender willingly and save your son, or resist and condemn the both of you." Zuko was silent for a long time, before he straightened in his wheelchair, unclenching his fists and slowing his breathing. Amon nodded, walking behind the old man as Zuko closed his eyes.

His eyes were forced open, however, as Amon roughly yanked his head back, the masked man's thumb digging into his forehead. Zuko's eyes widened as he felt a steel dagger slide across his bared throat, before blood sprayed from the grin-shaped wound. Amon shoved Zuko hard between the shoulders, forcing him out of the wheelchair and sending him sprawling on the floor in a pool of blood. "Soon you will be unable to Bend, as I promised," Amon said, stabbing the bloody throwing dagger into the desk. "I will soon pay a visit to your son. Die knowing that your surrender means the end of his life as a spoiled Prince." Zuko gurgled angrily as Amon disappeared, leaving him alone.

A shroud fell over his mind, muddling his thoughts and making his limbs feel heavy. _So tired, _he thought, his eyelids fluttering. _No… not yet. Have to live. Close the wound, that's what Katara would tell you to do. But how?_ As the darkness slowly descended, the answer clicked, and he coated his hand in flames.

_Cauterize it…_

* * *

Roku groaned as he awoke, stretching his sore back as the sunrise streamed in through the thin green curtains embroidered with the Beifong crest. Lin stirred beside him, blearily opening her eyes. She smiled softly as she saw him, before sitting up and gently kissing his jaw, just below the ear. "Good morning," she whispered, allowing the covers to fall and reveal her nudity. She began nibbling on his earlobe, and Roku shivered, reciprocating the action. He was rudely interrupted by the ringing phone. He frowned, almost pouting as she pulled away, picking up the device. "Chief Beifong," she answered. Getting up from the bed, he walked over to the clothes he had brought in from his Satomobile, which he always kept in the trunk just in case. He began dressing, before Lin spoke, causing him to freeze in place.

"Roku… your father's been attacked."

* * *

Roku silently stared at his father's sleeping form in the hospital. His gaze focused on Zuko's bandaged neck, and he carefully peeled the cloth away, observing the wound. The knife had been drawn clumsily across the throat, leaving a long, deep, jagged gash resembling a fish's gills, though the wound had since been sewn. The skin and muscle was reddish-black and charred, the burn in the shape of a hand. _He cauterized the wound with his Firebending. To purposefully and willfully inflict and endure that pain… no one can say he's weak. _Lin strode in dressed in her armor then, flinching when she saw the burn.

"Your father is definitely a tough old man," she said, sitting next to fiancée.

"_Your_ father now too. Since we're now engaged, my family is your family." Zuko slowly stirred, and Roku gently grasped his father's hand as the man's eyes opened. "How are you doing dad?"

"I'm in a lot of pain," Zuko rasped. "I managed to burn my wound closed, but I lost too much blood to stay conscious." Zuko's eyes fell upon Lin, and he smiled. "It's good to see you my dear. How did the date go?" Lin smiled, and showed him her left hand, where the ring gleamed in the light. Tears formed in the corners of Zuko's good eye, and he embraced her as best he could without further aggravating the wound. "Welcome to the family, Lin."

* * *

Two hours later, Roku sat alone with his father. Shortly after the announcement, a phone call came for Lin from Korra, in which she told them the implications of Equalist activity in the Sato Corporation the young Avatar had heard. Lin had left shortly afterward, leaving the two men alone. Roku sat with his head in his hands, his fingers knotted in his hair.

"Amon knows my identity… this is a complication I did not foresee." Roku sat up, leaning his head against the back of his chair. He closed his eyes as his father gently grasped his hand, trying to offer some small comfort. "So far, the only crimes I could be charged with are being a vigilante and minor assault on the police. However, since you came to an agreement with the Council permitting me to try and stop the Equalists that charge probably won't stick."

"Amon slit my throat with one of your throwing daggers, and made sure to leave the blade in my desk. It was confiscated, and as of now the official story is that the Blue Spirit attempted to assassinate me. Now that I am awake they'll come for my story, but Amon will use his rhetoric to convince the non-bending community that I am lying to try and cause them to withdraw their support of his cause."

"But why would he try to kill you? The slice was clumsy, which is proof that he has no experience with knives, or murder. It's not his M.O. He takes the Bending, not the life of the Bender."

"He knew that I would use my own influence to try and oppose him. He also knows that I haven't used my Firebending since I was confined to my wheelchair; therefore, stealing my Bending would have been pointless. Take away Bending from someone who doesn't Bend and you gain nothing. Not a benefit to your cause, but not a martyr either. He had planned on killing me, and I would guess framing you, claiming you were trying to organize a coup to overthrow your sister by removing my support of her. But now that I'm alive, he will have to rely on his rhetoric to convince people of it."

"If that's the case, then I have to try and stop this. Lin will be investigating the Sato Corporation… Hiroshi Sato certainly has the money and motive to support the Equalist, what with his wife's murder. I'll tail Lin under the guise of the Blue Spirit, and make sure that she's safe."

"Son, before you go, you ought to know that after you left I worked on the modifications we were discussing with Azulon. We finished the glider and the ranged electric focuser. Azulon took the suit out and made sure to be seen so that you would have some deniability. It apparently was pointless, but I just thought you should know. At least try and get along with your nephew, alright?"

"Of course, father… of course."

* * *

The Blue Spirit hid in the shadows of the rafters in Hiroshi Sato's workshop as Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and her officers descended into the hidden tunnel, leaving behind one officer and Korra's friends. Roku took quiet, measured breaths as he adjusted his position slightly, contemplating how to enter the tunnel. The new, modified gauntlet seemed heavy on his arm, and the unfamiliar weight of the retracted glider seemed to weigh down on his back, but he easily kept himself above the line of sight for any below. He jerked his head when he heard a muffled thud, and watched as the teenagers below tried to convince the officer to let them go and help. Rolling his eyes as Mako began pretending to sneeze, Roku dropped silently from the rafter, pinching a nerve cluster on the officer's neck and rendering him unconscious. The three leapt back in surprise, and Roku shook his head.

"Dumbass."

* * *

Tenzin moved at a frantic pace as the mecha-tanks kept attacking. He sent blast after blast of Airbending at them, and managed to knock one off balance, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get the drop on them. Dodging another attack, he created a wheel of air around him, moving at incredible speed to try and find an opening. As he launched into the air, an electrified bolo came flying at him, and he shouted in pain as it wrapped around his body. Began to fall, closing his eyes as he expected to hit the ground, hard.

His eyes shot open when he felt strong arms wrap around his body, and felt a blade cut the bolo off of him. Tenzin turned in the arms, and found he had been grabbed by a man wearing a blue mask with a combination of leather armor and technological augmentations. Wires and coils curled around his left arm, leading to a glowing circle in the palm of his gauntleted hand. The man landed softly upon the ground, gently setting Tenzin down, before raising the gauntleted hand. A high-pitched, charging whine emanated from the device before a bolt of lightning flew forward, electrocuting and disabling one of the mecha-tanks.

"The Blue Spirit?" he murmured as he recognized the mask. The figure turned its head toward him, gazing with burning, piercing eyes. The man gave a slow nod, before drawing two Dao blades off his back as one of the mecha-tanks launched its dual-pronged cables at the pair. The Spirit slashed with the blades, impossibly fast, severing the platinum with one stroke. Tenzin watched the man launch forward, sliding past another mecha tank, slicing out one of the legs as he went. The tank wobbled for a moment or two, before Tenzin sent a blast of Airbending at it, knocking it off balance and causing it to fall onto its side.

"Run!" the Blue Spirit shouted as more tanks came pouring in. "Take the Avatar and the Chief and run! I'll give you cover, and try to get the other officers out!" He quickly spun around another cable attack, grabbing the metal and sending electricity through it into the tank.

"You sound familiar…"

"No time, dammit! Run, Tenzin, run!" Tenzin did as ordered, grabbing the other two with the help of the newly-arrived teenagers, and Roku charged the Equalist climbing out of the tank Tenzin had just tipped. Grabbing the woman by the arm, he whipped her around and to safety as the machine exploded, pinching a nerve cluster in her neck and rendering her unconscious. He carefully set her down, before turning to face the dozen mecha tanks. A quick glance behind him showed that the others had successfully made their escape, and Roku sighed, relieved. He set about collecting the officers and leaning them against the wall as the tanks slowly and warily crept forward. "Hiroshi Sato…" he said, rising to his full height after depositing the last officer. "I must say, I had a hunch you might be involved in the Equalist goals. Your mistake was creating the Shock Gloves. I have seen the inner wirings of your Satomobile, and noticed that the circuitry for the gloves was very similar to the circuitry connecting the battery to your vehicle's headlights. I'm disappointed in you, Hiroshi… and so too would be your wife."

"Don't you dare speak of her!" he roared, leaning forward against the glass pane. "Don't you dare speak of her, you worm! Amon told us all who you really are, charlatan! You are Prince Roku. You and your kind, the Benders, will pay, and I will have double my revenge on you, for it was a Firebender who killed her… if not for your father's so-called peace, the Fire Nation would never have been in this part of the world, and she would be alive!"

"You condemn what you do not understand!" Roku shouted, removing his mask and clipping it to his belt. Yanking back the hood, he whipped his head around, allowing his shoulder-length hair to flow freely. "You claim that we are oppressors of the people, and that all war in all time was caused by Benders. I would cite the war in the region that would eventually become the great city of Omashu. It was started by non-Benders, and ended only when the two lovers, Oma and Shu, created the human ability to Earthbend after learning it from the badgermoles. Amon is oppressing Benders far more than the Benders have ever oppressed non-Benders. Amon claims that his methods are peaceful, but he tried to kill my father!"

"Do not smear Amon's name!" one of the other Equalists shouted from within his mecha tank. "Amon told us that you would try and lie about that. He told us the truth! It was _you_ who tried to kill Zuko, all so that you could try to start a coup!"

"You are lost!" Roku exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation. The officers slowly began to come to, and Roku quickly replaced the mask, before hurling a smoke bomb in the middle ground. Grabbing the most conscious by the scruff of his neck, he slapped him hard to wake him up, before pointing down. "Open up the tunnel below! You can arrest me if you so choose, but I recommend you listen unless you want to face a dozen of the tanks, rather than the few you were fighting." The man nodded, and quickly tore the floor open, lowering his fellow officers while Roku launched several more lightning bolts from his gauntlet.

"All clear!" the officer exclaimed, and Roku dived into the hole, the man diving after as another of his comrades closed it behind him. Roku hit the ground hard, and slammed against the stone, grunting in pain as he felt his gauntlet, which he had landed on, press hard into his diaphragm, knocking the wind out of him. As he rose, he heard a wheezing sound, and he turned. His blood chilled as he saw a throwing knife identical to one of his own sticking out of the throat of the officer who had dived behind him, blood bubbling up around the wound. _One of the Equalists must have thrown it to try and frame me._ The man convulsed once as his comrades rushed to him, before a long rattling sound emanated from his throat, and he lay still. The officers roared in fury, and Roku turned and ran into the shadows and darkness.

* * *

Lin sat at her desk, her head buried in her hands as her shoulders trembled. Picking up the paper once again, she read over the deceased officer's profile, feeling her heart break when she saw that he had a wife and three children. Setting the profile aside, she reached for the report the newly-minted sergeant had written, detailing the events in the tunnel and the blade in the deceased officer's throat. _The Blue Spirit again…_ she thought, her lip curling into a feral snarl. _I should have fought harder when we first met. Defeating Equalists in order to defend the police is one thing, but fighting the police afterwards in the Cabbage Corporation warehouse was unacceptable. And now this…_ Her fury erupted, and she slammed her gauntleted fist into her desk, leaving an inch-deep indentation in the solid oak.

_This is partially my fault, _she thought as yanked her arm out of the wood. _If I hadn't taken them into that trap, then that family would still be whole. I swear, the Blue Spirit will pay. But I can't do it within the confines of the law…_ she reached toward a desk in her drawer, and pulled out a blank piece of paper, upon which she proceeded to write her resignation.

_I swear, when I find the Blue Spirit… I __**will**__ kill him._

* * *

Well, there you go guys. Hope you liked it. Review, and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everybody! Well, it seems that the last chapter was a fairly large success. Without further ado, here is Chapter 5 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

This is partially my fault,_she thought as yanked her arm out of the wood. _If I hadn't taken them into that trap, then that family would still be whole. I swear, the Blue Spirit will pay. But I can't do it within the confines of the law… _she reached toward a desk in her drawer, and pulled out a blank piece of paper, upon which she proceeded to write her resignation._

I swear, when I find the Blue Spirit… I **will** kill him.

* * *

The morning after the death of the officer in the tunnel, Roku stood in a training field with Korra, once more stripped to the waist. Korra wore her usual Water-Tribe getup, though she was barefoot, and her hair was let down, allowing it to fall behind her in a wave. "Good!" Roku declared as she propelled herself forward a dozen feet by blasting flame from her feet and hands. "Very good! Propulsion is a Master-level skill, but _vertical _propulsion is a Sozin's Comet-level technique. Sure, you could probably use the momentum from forward propulsion to move yourself a couple feet into the air, but to actually fly… that is a power that will take a lot of practice for you, as it took for me."

"Just how did you get so good?" Korra asked, wiping her forehead with her forearm. "I'm doing the best I can, and I'm drenched in sweat. You display these skills that are unheard of outside of the Comet's influence, and you aren't bothered in the least." Roku smiled before beckoning her forward. She strode forward, and he gently grasped her arm, leaning his lips toward her ear.

"I practiced," he told her, and launched himself into the air as she gave him an exasperated look. Laughing as he soared around her, Roku performed a few aerial tricks before landing in front of her. "All right, let's pause the propulsion lessons. Have you been trained in lightning manipulation?" he asked, shooting a bolt into the air from his hand.

"I was taught the principals and how to redirect it, but I've never actually applied any of the knowledge." Roku nodded, rubbing the stubble on his chin. He led her to a far corner of the training field, situation her, before he moved to the opposite corner, far on the other side.

"Generating lightning for most people involves a circular motion with the arms. Mentally, it involves a complete absence of emotion and peace of mind. Basically, you just have to clear your mind; don't think. Separate your yin and yang energies, and when you force them to collide together to become whole again, lightning is created. Do you think you can do that?"

"I believe so," Korra said. She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply, her nostrils flaring with each breath. "Empty my mind…" she murmured to herself, moving her arms slowly in a circular motion. Her eyes shot open, and she shot her right arm forward, aiming with two fingers at Roku. A spark flared at her fingertips, before a fast stream of lightning flew forward, colliding with Roku's outstretched hand.

"Very good!" he declared, redirecting the lightning into the sky with his great-uncle's technique. "Very good. Excellent speed, though you seem to have implemented it by reducing the power of the attack. While your current manipulation of lightning is strong enough to render someone unconscious, it will not be enough to kill, or effectively hold off a fellow lightning Bender." Korra nodded, resting her hands on her knees as she doubled over, panting from the effort. Roku took a deep breath, before striding over to a duffel bag he had brought with him to the training field. Reaching into it, he pulled out two wooden jian swords. Tossing one to Korra, he hefted the other, carving a circle out of the air before him.

"Time for Lesson Number Three."

* * *

Korra groaned as she fell onto her cot that night, bruised and beaten. Roku had mercilessly drilled her with the wooden blades, trying to teach her how to fight without having to rely on her Bending. After the sword training, he had then tested her in hand-to-hand combat. The older man had been reasonably satisfied with her skills, and had moved on to teach her a few chi-blocking techniques. All in all, the regimen had left her desperately craving sleep. She tossed and turned on the bed, grunting in annoyance as sleep continued to elude her. Naga stuck her head through the door, whining as she licked her master's face, and Korra smiled, gently scratching the polar bear-dog's chin. Sighing, she rose from her bed, walking the path down to the docks. Upon reaching the end, she pulled her boots off, sticking her legs out over the end and soaking her legs in the cool-warm water.

For several minutes she sat there, feeling the waves lap against her calves, and occasionally using some of the water to heal her scrapes and bruises. A slight creak sounded behind her and she froze, her ears straining to catch the sound of some assailant behind her as she slowly turned, taking a few steps forward to try and see into the darkness. When all was silent for a few moments and she had seen no sign of movement, she decided that it was just the dock creaking as a result of a particularly large wave.

She turned around, and came nearly face-to-face with a blue mask.

"I can assure you, I mean you no harm," the man said as she leapt back, creating a pillar of water beside her from the sea.

"Who are you?"

"Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask." Korra gave him a strange look, before lowering the pillar back to the churning water below.

"…I can see that."

"Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is."

"…Right."

"But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet to suggest the character of this dramatis persona. Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished." The man's voice became slightly crazed as he stepped forward, and Korra took her own step back, slightly afraid. "However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance, a vendetta held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous." He paused for a moment, and let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose. So let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me the Blue Spirit."

"The Blue Spirit?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes. "I know of you. Lin told me about how you killed one of her officers!" Korra shot a blast of lightning flying toward him, and he casually leaned to the side, allowing the arc to soar past his face, the electricity making his hair stand on end. Raising his hand, he casually shot a weak bolt from his gauntlet, causing Korra to hit the deck, spasms wracking her body.

"I _did_ say that I didn't want to hurt you," he said casually, crouching down next to her. "Now listen to me, because you are my only hope for survival. Amon attempted to assassinate Fire Lord Zuko. In order to try and remove the threat of I pose to him, he plans to blame me for the attempt. He has told his supporters that I am trying to start a coup and take over the Fire Nation. No matter what Zuko tells the people, Amon will use his rhetoric to convince the people that I am responsible. You must not let this happen, Korra. And while you are at it, I need you to help me prove that I did not kill that officer. I did what I could to save all of you; I am merely the victim of assumption and ill circumstance."

"Why should I believe you?" Korra asked. The Blue Spirit hesitated, before reaching behind his head and untying the straps holding the mask in place. Korra gasped as the mask fell away, revealing Roku's face.

"Because I have always believed in you."

* * *

Roku sat with Korra in one of the caves that pockmarked the cliffs of Air Temple Island. It was midnight, and he had spent the last few hours telling her his story. He hid no secrets from her; he told her of the original Blue Spirit, Zuko, and of how he had taken over the mantle. He told her of the various conflicts he had been in under cover of the mask.

"Why didn't you tell Lin all of this?" Korra asked, hugging her knees to her chin as she sat on the cold stone. A small fire crackled, casting shivering, flickering shadows across the cave. Roku sighed, pulling a long-stemmed pipe out from beneath his cloak and lighting it with a spark from his finger.

"There was no easy way to tell her, nor a right time. And now, after the events in the secret facility… if I tell her who I really am, she will leave me, break off our engagement." Sighing, Roku leaned back, resting his head against the hard stone wall. "Get some sleep, Korra. Tomorrow… tomorrow we will gather them all, and tell them the truth." Korra nodded, and lay down on the rock, curling into a ball near the fire. As the warmth of the fire pressed around her mind like a warm blanket, she heard Roku sing softly under his breath, his voice impossibly deep.

"Far over the misty mountains cold… To dungeons deep, and caverns old… The pines were roaring on the height… The winds were moaning in the night… The fire was red, it flaming spread… The trees like torchers blazed with light."

* * *

Well, it's a short chapter this time, but I think it's a nice little pause from the heavy stuff. I wanted to make a short little chapter so I could add a couple of nods and references without damaging the canonical storyline too much(well, more than I already have). I included a V for Vendetta reference, as well as a little nod to the upcoming LOTR prequel movie, The Hobbit, which I am very much looking forward to seeing. Review, and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everybody! I'm glad to see that last chapter's filler was a well-accepted break. I thought it would be nice to have Roku and Korra become closer, so I created the scenes. Well, without further ado, here is Chapter 6 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

_Roku leaned back, resting his head against the hard stone wall. "Get some sleep, Korra. Tomorrow… tomorrow we will gather them all, and tell them the truth."_

* * *

The courtyard of Air Temple Island was normally a quiet place around dawn; the Air Acolytes waited to clean until roughly ten o'clock, and the few visitors to the island almost never arrived that early. Today, however, the courtyard played host to a small cluster of people. Tenzin and his family were present; Korra's friends were present; Lin was present; Zuko was present; even a small contingency of the White Lotus Sentries were present.

"Man, I didn't know it got this cold in the morning," Bolin said, rubbing his arms together as he hopped in place, trying to warm himself up. The others pointedly ignored him, turning their gaze instead to two approaching figures. Lin gasped as she saw Korra walking calmly beside the Blue Spirit, and she quickly entered a ready stance, her cables taut and prepared to fly. As Korra ran forward, trying to calm down her and everyone else who had entered a battle stance, the Blue Spirit paused in his stride, tilting his head to the side as if curious. His stoic silence, combined with his relaxed demeanor bespoke of a complete lack of fear, or a confidence that bordered on the sociopathic.

"Why is he here?" Lin asked through gritted teeth, her eyes drilling into the holes in the mask. Before Korra could answer, the Blue Spirit spoke, his voice deep, and strangely familiar.

"I have come here to reveal to you all a stark truth," the voice said. "I have come to confess my crimes." The men and women assembled seemed to relax, and Lin stood up straight, her eyes still dissecting his every move. "I have committed dozens of counts of assault against the Equalists, but in a few moments you will see why that charge should be dropped. I have committed considerably less accounts of assault on police officers. In each event, however, the officers confronted me first, or cornered me during my investigations. In summary; approximately fifty counts of assault, ranging from misdemeanor to felony."

"What about the murder of one of my officers?!" Lin roared, stepping forward. "I believe that you are, in fact, innocent of the claims that you attempted to kill Fire Lord Zuko, but there are witnesses who can confirm that you killed my officer!"

"Your witnesses base their facts on circumstantial evidence," the Blue Spirit scoffed, gesturing with one arm as if he were swatting away a fly. "Your man was killed with a throwing knife, which anyone could use. He was hit at the top of the tunnel while the others were at the bottom; therefore, they never actually 'witnessed' anything." Lin's lip curled into a fearsome snarl, and the Blue Spirit launched forward even as she began to move, Tenzin reaching forward to stop her. Sliding low, he caught her forthcoming wrist with his own, redirecting it and the incoming cable skyward. Ducking under her arm, he then slid one leg between hers before looping it around her rear leg, where most of her weight was balanced. A quick movement had her falling forward into his body, and as she did he tore the mask off, his lips crashing into hers as they collided.

A collective gasp sounded from the group as they saw Roku's face, and Lin's eyes widened with shock. Reaching between them, she shoved him away from herself. "It was you?!" she screamed, her body shaking in anger. "I trusted you!" she screamed as she slammed her foot into the ground, dislodging a large boulder and hurling it at him. "I loved you!" She launched both cables forward, and Roku gasped as one of them grazed his side, tearing open the underlying skin so a thin sheet of blood poured out. The others tried to subdue her as Roku fell to his knees, but she threw them all off with an impossible amount of strength. "I was going to marry you, Roku…" she whispered as she stared down at him. He felt his heart shatter at the betrayed look on her face. "Go away!" she screamed, shoving him hard in the shoulders. He gasped as he fell back against the hard cobblestones, his blood pooling beneath him.

Smoke poured between the fingers pressed against his wound, accompanied by his gasp of pain and the scent of burning meat. With one last apologetic look at his love, he launched himself skyward, his flames propelling him far away from the island in a matter of minutes.

* * *

Lin sobbed as she watched him soar away, and as she sunk to her knees the rest of the assembly awkwardly leaving, trying to give her the privacy to let out her emotions. Korra paused as the rest of them left, trying to find some words, any words to comfort the woman she had come to admire. They died in her throat, however, when Lin turned to her with tears streaming down her face. To Korra's bewilderment, the woman barreled into her, sobbing uncontrollably into the young Avatar's shoulder. Korra hesitantly wrapped her arms around the former Chief, wondering what she was supposed to do.

"I still love him," Lin sobbed, her shoulders shaking, and Korra desperately wished to be anywhere else. "He lied to me, he fought me, and he caused me to sacrifice everything I had worked so hard to gain, and I still love him."

"I… I think I know what you're going through. My emotions are just so frayed; I mean, I like Mako, but he's with Asami, and I just can't stop thinking about him. If I were to pursue him, it would just completely ruin my friendship with the both of them, not to mention Bolin. I realize that it probably just sounds like a bunch of teenage garbage, but that's the best I got."

"It will do well enough, Korra," Zuko's voice said, and the two women embarrassedly turned to see that the old man had not wheeled away, as they had assumed. "Now, if you will permit me to speak to Lin alone, I believe you have some training to attend to, do you not?" Korra awkwardly extricated herself from Lin's clinging grasp, and bowed to Zuko, before quickly running off. Zuko gave the woman a sad smile, and wheeled forward, gently wrapping his arms around her shoulder. "Oh, Lin," he sighed, gently rubbing her back in a comforting manner, though her steel armor prevented her from actually feeling the motion. "I have watched you grow from a mischievous little girl who used to hide pebbles in my tea to a strong, beautiful woman. It hurts me to see you go through so much heartbreak." Lin sniffed, wiping her eyes with a quick, embarrassed motion.

"I can't believe you still remember that," she laughed, smiling at the old man. "I remember I used to pick on you and Aunt Katara so much. Uncle Sokka and Uncle Aang used to give me the best ideas." She sniffed again, and shook her head. "I… I don't know what to feel, Uncle. Part of me hates Roku, but part of me still loves him."

"Lin, Roku was not the first man to wear the mask of the Blue Spirit," Zuko told her. At her shocked expression, he sighed. "I grow so old that time blurs together… years and years ago, what must have been months after Aang emerged from the iceberg, I created the guise of the Blue Spirit to… shall we say, 'liberate,' him from the grasp of Admiral Zhao." Zuko could tell that he had her attention now, and he paused, wondering what was important enough to tell, and when it had happened. "After Mei and I were married, life became a never-ending series of responsibilities. I was a Fire Lord, a friend, a father, a revolutionary… I became so swept up in the tide of events, that I felt that I was losing myself within them. The Blue Spirit became a way for me to escape them. Mei knew of my habit, and we fought over it frequently leading up to Roku's birth. It took a single, shocking event for me to finally realize what was important, and I quit the mask immediately after."

"What happened?"

"I had been talking with Aang and the council of Republic City about something trivial. But finally I just got so bored and angry that I stormed out, and went back to my house in the city…"

* * *

_"Completely ridiculous," he muttered as he stalked back and forth in the living room of his three-story house. "Completely ridiculous! I am the Fire Lord, I have a country I am supposed to run, and they have me sitting in a meeting for three hours, talking about whether or not the Council should wear the colors representing their respective nation or if they should all wear the same color! Who cares?!"_

_"Well, perhaps they wanted to try and show a kind of unity," Mei said gently, lying on the couch with her hands on her swollen belly. "Or perhaps they wanted to show that they respect and celebrate the cultures of the different peoples."_

_"Oh, screw that," Zuko muttered, running a hand through his graying hair. "They just want to try and figure out a way to dress to show just how rich they are. Each one of them wants to look richer than the others, but they also want to make it look like they give a rat's ass about what the others think."_

_"Language," she chided softly, casting a sideways glance at their young daughter. "Ursa, why don't you go play with Lin and Tenzin upstairs, okay?" The little girl ran off laughing, and Mei sighed, sinking further into the couch as she relaxed. "Katara's been such a dear as of late," she told him. "She's been checking in one me and making sure that I'm doing okay. She says the baby should be coming any day now, and she wants to be here when he does."_

_"And if these fools keep up with what they're doing, I **won't** be here when he arrives," Zuko sighed, sinking into his armchair, rubbing his eyes. "Spirits, I should have just left Aang to build this thrice-damned city on his own. Crime is rampant in the streets, and corruption permeates every level of this government!"_

_"Zuko, calm down," Mei said gently, slowly managing to sit up on the couch. "Come here, sit with me." Zuko sighed, and did as told, sliding onto the seat next to her. "Now," Mei said, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around her shoulder, "love your wife." She cuddled into him, resting her head on his shoulder, and Zuko smiled, kissing her soft hair. "You're sure you want to name him Roku?" she asked._

_"Yes, I believe so. I want him to symbolize the hope that this family can rise out of the darkness that my father's grandfather cast it into. Katara said he's going to be strong; who knows, he may become as strong as his namesake."_

_"That'd be nice," Mei said, her eyelids drooping closed. "Even if he isn't, we'll love him just the same." She fell asleep, and Zuko quickly sprang into action. Lifting her head off of his shoulder, he gently laid her down, before bounding up the stairs two at a time. He was in their bedroom within seconds, and he tore off the fancy clothes, replacing them with the simple black clothes and mask. He strapped on a Dao, and opened up his window, climbing out and leaping onto an adjacent building._

_Running was the only thing now that would get his mind off of his worries. He reveled in the physical exertion, the whip of the wind as he leapt, and within minutes he was in the gang territories. Sticking to the shadows cast by the cramped, dense buildings, he slid past dozens of pickpockets, looters, cutthroats, rapists, and whores. _Looks like the attempts to stop prostitution failed, _he thought grimly to himself. _Figures. Men will always find a way to get their dicks wet, one way or the other._ He stalked past the women with their painted faces and skimpy clothes, and came into a narrow alleyway before he was blocked by a large thug who seemed to emerge from the surrounding walls. Turning around, he saw the other end of the alley blocked by none other than Yakone._

_"Good evening," the man said, cracking his knuckles. "That's a mighty fine mask you've got there. Worth a pretty penny or two, no?" When Zuko remained silent, the criminal scowled, his features growing dark. "Pasco, rough him up a bit, see if that won't loosen his tongue." The Earthbender behind him moved, and Zuko performed a blind kick to his rear, managing to catch the man just below the throat. As the large thug stumbled back, Zuko drew his blade, separating it into two in one swift, fluid motion. The blades swung with a deadly hiss as he guided them toward Yakone._

_Zuko roared in pain and shock as they pierced his own body._

_Yakone stood watching silently as Zuko coughed up blood, his body going slack yet somehow maintaining its upright position. Yakone gave a sinister grin, and moved his arms forward, forcing Zuko's body to contort into agonizing configurations. Blood poured onto the cobblestones beneath, and Yakone caused it to flow back up, forcing it back into Zuko's body and causing him further agony. _Bloodbender?!_ Zuko thought in shock as the man removed the mask from his face. Recognition and fear crossed the criminal's features, and Yakone dropped Zuko, turning tail and running. Zuko's vision slowly faded, and the last thing he heard was a woman's scream._

* * *

"I woke up in the hospital some hours later," Zuko told Lin. "Mei was in the bed beside me, and I was conscious long enough to witness Roku's birth. I lost consciousness almost immediately after and when I came to a week later, Yakone had been arrested and had his Bending taken away by Aang. It hit me that if I had died, I would have left behind three children who, like me, never got to know a loving father. Giving the mask up was the hardest thing I ever had to do, Lin; to Roku, the mask is a symbol of both pride and shame. It is his legacy, the reason that so much has happened to him… he both loves and hates the mask, as both you and Mei loved and hated its wearers."

"I… I am truly sorry. I didn't know."

"That was by design. Roku had hoped to try and keep you from the worries and conflictions that plagued his mother. If I had the chance, I would go back and destroy the damned thing; I lost so much time with Mei to it, and she died so shortly after I finally gave it up."

"It was your curse as much as his," Lin whispered, tears falling from her eyes once more. "Spirits, I've cast him away! I have to find him, I have to make this right!"

* * *

Roku stood high in the mountains, overlooking Republic City miles away. Snow was everywhere, but he had managed to find an old, abandoned cabin. Picking the lock had been child's play, as had been picking the lock to the liquor cabinet, the result now being his drunken sway. His hair was mussed up, his eyes were bleary, and he fell in the snow every few feet, resulting in his now soaked clothing. "Go away," he muttered, forging a circular track in the knee-deep snow. "I loved you, I trusted you, go away… no, no, _I _loved _you_, _I _trusted _you_." He took another swig from the bottle in his hand, the label having been soaked off somewhere in the snow behind him. A fit of hiccups overcame him, and he fell down on his butt in the drifts, his body shaking with each.

"Food," he muttered, and he managed to rise to his feet after several attempts. It took him ten minutes of walking in the track he had forged to realize that he was twenty feet away from the cabin, and he drunkenly stumbled over to it, tracking snow inside as he stomped his way in. Digging through the cabinets, he found reasonably fresh dried meat, and he looked at it in confusion. _Why does that seem suspicious?_ he thought to himself. _Fresh-ish food… fresh-ish, freshish, shishishishish…_ he started giggling uncontrollably, and the thought disappeared as he tore the meat apart. Almost immediately after he began shivering, and moved over to the fireplace, stacked with dried logs. He punched at the logs, intending to use a bit of Firebending to light them, but to his drunken confusion, nothing happened.

He tried again and again, but nothing happened.

Shrugging it off as a result of his drunken state, he sifted through the nearby paraphernalia of paper and pokers until he managed to find a book of matches. He wadded up a few sheets, and lit them, and within minutes had a nice roaring fire. The heat of the flames exacerbated the exhausted feeling brought on by the liquor, and within minutes he was asleep.

* * *

It was near midnight when he was awoken by the bang of the front door opening, and he quickly shot up, before screaming and slamming his head against the floor as a massive headache, brought on by a combination of hangover and fire-resultant dehydration, exploded behind his eyes. He heard surprised voices shout out, a man's and a young woman's, before he was suddenly hoisted into the air on invisible threads. Pain, matching the pain behind his eyes, erupted throughout the rest of his body, and his eyes launched open, locking on a disheveled Tarrlok and Korra. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded, but Tarrlok merely ignored him, moving them to the basement below. _Bloodbending,_ Roku realized, and he watched helplessly as Korra was thrown into a steel container.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting you to be here," Tarrlok said as he moved another container around. "But you're easy enough to deal with."

"Water," Roku gasped, his parched throat aching as he said the words. "Please… so thirsty."

"Here," Tarrlok said, tossing an old waterskin into the container before doing the same with Roku. "You might want to ration it; you're going to be here a long time." Without another word, the Councilman left, and Roku was left to listen to Korra's rage.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked it folks! Review, and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! Well, I'm not gonna really ramble on too much; I'll just let you go directly to Chapter 7 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

_"Water," Roku gasped, his parched throat aching as he said the words. "Please… so thirsty."_

_"Here," Tarrlok said, tossing an old waterskin into the container before doing the same with Roku. "You might want to ration it; you're going to be here a long time." Without another word, the Councilman left, and Roku was left to listen to Korra's rage._

* * *

An hour came and went while Roku huddled in the cold box, sipping the dirty water whenever his thirst became unbearable. Korra continued to slam against the walls of her container, roaring and trying a myriad of her Bending abilities to try and break free. "It's not going to work," he told her after she screamed once more in frustration. "Your Earthbending is too unrefined to bend the steel, your Firebending will just turn it into an oven and cook you, and without an adequate supply of water you can't expect to cut through.

"Why don't you try your super-duper Bending, then? Aren't you supposed to be able to supercool metal and break it?"

"I would, but… something's wrong with my Bending. When I tried to start a fire a few hours ago, I was unable. I wrote it off as my drunken state. Now, though… I've been trying to create just the tiniest of flames to try and heat this box up and I can't even get a spark. I just… I don't understand what's going on." Korra fell silent then, and she remained silent for so long that Roku thought she might have fallen asleep. She proved him wrong when she huffed, and the sound of her body shifting against the metal.

_Probably meditating, like Tenzin was telling her to,_ he thought, leaning his head back against the cold, unrelenting steel. He groaned as his side ached, the aftereffects of the wound Lin had inflicted upon him. His breath came in ragged gasps, and already he felt his body fighting off some kind of infection. _What could it be?_ he wondered, trying to keep his arm from shaking. _Tetanus? No, the cable was definitely kept clean. No officer would allow them to rust, if only to keep them from infecting those they capture. Hmm… the cables are somewhat oiled and greased, to allow them to eject from their casing more easily. The oil and grease might be poisonous to my body… then again, any number of things could have gotten on the cable and it could be a common infection._ He shook violently for a moment, before he took another swig from the pouch. _Though I doubt this water is exactly clean…_

More time passed, and he slowly drifted in and out of consciousness, his body starting to burn. Korra occasionally stirred in the container next to his, muttering something or other to herself, or Aang. Roku found it harder and harder to stay conscious; sleep seemed more and more inviting, and every time he gave in, he was sure he would not wake up. _To die in a box in some scumbag's basement… hardly a death befitting a prince._ Slowly, ever so slowly, he managed to exert some small amount of control over his body, managing to stay awake for a considerable amount of time. He had no way of knowing just how much time, though; without shifting shadows or changing light, he had no way of judging time in his delirious state. He could have been there days; he could have been there minutes. Closing his eyes again, he slowed his breathing, as Aang had taught him years ago.

"_The Avatar acts as a bridge between this world and the Spirit World,"_ he could here Aang say again. _"Be that as it may, it is possible for a regular person to… how to describe it? I suppose… 'transcend' their physical body. It takes a very clear and focused mind._ Roku snorted at the thought; given the state he was in now, feverish and weak, he very much doubted he would be able to achieve the necessary clarity. He closed his eyes anyway, and slowly emptied his mind of all his worries and self-loathing. He kept the slow pace of his breathing, and slowly relaxed his body, trying to twist into a comfortable position to further ease his thoughts. He wound up manipulating his body much as his 'Aunt' Ty Lee had taught him; one leg was held straight up with his knee resting at his shoulder, while the other curled around his body. Both arms had enough space to rest as they were, so he let them be.

Closing his eyes, he once again emptied his mind.

* * *

Lin remained silent as she, Tenzin, and the self-dubbed "Team Avatar" made their way back to the Council Building. After they had failed to find Korra in the tunnels beneath the city, she had figured out that Tarrlok was the one who had kidnapped the girl; she had yet to figure out why. But more than that, her mind was focused on Roku; she had tried hard to find him the day before, after he had left, yet she found no leads. To escape her, the former Chief of Police… she had checked every single place he had any connection to, had checked places Fire Nation citizens frequented, and after that, searched places associated with her, hoping that his love of her would cause him to be at those places. It was hopeless though; wherever he had gone, he had left the city, that much she was sure of. There was no place in the city she couldn't find him, but the world was large, and he could be anywhere in it.

_How could I have hurt him so?_ she thought, reliving yet again the moment where she had screamed at him, had opened his side with her cable, had spilled his blood on Air Temple Island. Never before had she made a man bleed with those cables; she had only ever tried to capture or subdue. She could hardly believe the first man she had wounded with the metal was her love. _I have to find him… I must apologize, and tell him how much I love him…_

All too soon, they reached the Council Building, and she abandoned her thoughts of Roku to focus on what would happen next.

* * *

_Roku hissed as an enormous light exploded behind his eyes, the pain feeling as if the sun itself was melting his eyes to jelly. He would have screamed from the agony, but his jaw was locked, and he was unable to move, unable to think. What he did possess though was the most base off instincts; the urge to flee, to fight. Another moment of agony, and he gasped when it ended, abruptly and painful as the light had been. His eyes had evidently closed, for he opened them now. To his amazement, he found himself sitting in the center of a garden, full of color and fragrance. A strange light seemed to emanate from the place, and he realized that somehow he had crossed into the Spirit World, into a place whose parameters were defined by a memory._

"_Roku, where did you run off to now?" a girl's voice called, and he watched as Lin jogged into what he realized was the Fire Palace gardens. A sense of sadness filled him as he realized when exactly it was; Lin was thirteen, he was seven, and his mother… she was forty-nine, and about to die. Lin searched the numerous bushes, making a show of it to amuse him, though by that age she had already learned her mother's seismic sense. His younger self was hidden behind a lilac bush, wearing a red shirt, black shorts, his face covered in dirt. He giggled as Lin continued to look for him, until she came to his bush._

"_There you are!" she exclaimed, and pounced at him. He laughed as he started running, leading her in circles. The older Roku smiled, knowing she was much faster than he was. Finally she caught him, lifting him off the ground. "I'm supposed to babysit, not baby__**chase**__," she told him, brushing some of the dirt off his face._

"_I am __**not**__ a baby," he pouted, crossing his arms, and Lin laughed, setting him down on a bench as she dipped the cuff of her sleeve in one of the little fountains, slowly washing off the dirt on his face. "I'm a big boy! Mommy's been teaching me some of her throwing knifes, and Daddy taught me how to make a flame in my hand!"_

"_Your Firebending used to be weak," a voice said behind Roku, and he turned to see Aang striding toward him, though not the age he was in the memory; this was the old Aang, the one with the white beard, the wrinkled hands, the crow's feet and laugh lines. This was the Aang who had seen and done much, who had trained his son and daughter and the son of his friend._

"_When I was so young, I did not know what love was," Roku replied. "As I told Korra the day I assessed her own skills, my Firebending was fueled by my love for Lin." He looked back at the memory, but frowned when he saw that everything and everyone had frozen; Lin was motionless, her sleeve still wiping the dirt from his face, his legs were swinging over the edge of the bench, and his mother was halfway out the door leading to the gardens, her foot hovering off the ground as she was paused in mid-step._

"_And your Firebending fails you now," Aang said, observing the younger man astutely. "Korra has been accessing my memories, and while she was I have accessed hers. Do you no longer love Lin, Roku?"_

"_I love her so much that it physically pains me," Roku replied, looking away from the twinkling, knowing eyes. "My soul is scorched by her every stare, charred by the guilt I feel for betraying her. The Mask was my father's bane, his curse, and I had vowed to myself that I would never let it be such to me. Yet it called to me, and I was too weak to resist its call. Because of my pride, my weakness, a man is dead, his children will grow up without a father, and Lin gave up everything she worked so hard to achieve in order to kill me. I must have shattered her heart, and there is nothing I can do to fix it."_

"_Are you truly that sure?" Aang said, his voice sad. "Watch your memory, and we will speak more." Turning back, Roku watched as Mei strode out, her steps somewhat labored. She had been sick for a month now, and she was more tired than Roku had remembered. Lin smiled when she saw the woman, rising and gently giving her a hug. Mei smiled, before her lips turned in a grimace, and she sat down harder than she meant to on the stone bench next to her son._

"_Aunt Mei, are you alright?" Lin asked, kneeling before the woman. Mei nodded, brushing off the attention with a weak smile, before she closed her eyes, breathing deeply._

"_This garden is very calming," Mei said to no one in particular. Her skin was pale, though not nearly as pale as it had been in her youth; years where she was finally free to do as she wished with her family had resulted in numerous family outings, which resulted in her skin achieving a light tan. Her hair was worn as she had always worn it, though it was now flecked with grey. She sighed, a contented sound, before she opened her eyes and lifted her young son up, setting him on her lap. "Are you giving Lin a hard time, Roku?" she asked him, a faint smile on her lips as he shook his head vigorously._

"_He's fun to play with," Lin said. "Much more fun than Tenzin." Roku giggled as she said that, bouncing on his mother's knee. Mei smiled, turned his head, and licked a finger. She began rubbing at a speck of dirt on Roku's cheek, and Roku tried to squirm away, unsuccessful. Mei smiled, before her eyes widened and she clutched her chest, gasping in pain. "Aunt Mei?" Lin gasped, and she ran inside, screaming for Zuko and Katara and her own mother, and everyone else who there that day._

"_Mommy?" Roku asked, pushing on her arm. Mei shook violently, her breaths coming in shuttering gasps, and Roku began to sob as she slowly slid off the bench. Mei grabbed him, embracing him fiercely, and he continued to cry, unable to comprehend what was happening. "Mommy, what's wrong?"_

"_Mei!" Zuko's voice called out, and he ran toward his wife and son, picking them both up in his strong arms. "Mei, speak to me!" She shook her head, indicating her inability, and he quickly carried them inside, screaming for Katara the entire way._

"_Why must I watch this?" the grown Roku asked, his own eyes shining with unshed tears. "I have relived these moments for many a year, and each time I slowly forget more and more of her. I cannot even be sure if this is what she truly looked like." His words were unheeded, however; indeed, there was no one to hear him, and he watched as Zuko set them down, pulling Roku away and making Mei lay down on the couch._

"_Roku, you won't want to see this," he said as he began to undo the fastenings of Mei's dress. "Leave." Roku began to protest weakly, but his father repeated the command, his tone biting and the force of the words sending his son scurrying from the room as he removed the dress from her torso and Katara kneeled in front of her._

_Outside in the hall, Roku was unable to hear anything that was going on. He began to cry as he never would cry again; tears poured from his eyes, his nose ran, and he made hiccupping-gasping sounds between sobs. Lin found him then, and a single tear ran down the older Roku's cheek as she silently embraced him, tears flowing down her own cheeks. She said not a word, but held him to her much like his mother had as he cried. Slowly, ever so slowly, he cried himself to sleep in the young girl's arms._

"_Lin was there for you when you needed her, Roku. You two have always had a special bond. Do you truly believe that one secret will be enough to erase such a history? Do you believe that it will remove the love you both hold in your heart?" Aang sighed as Roku remained silent, before he disappeared again, giving him privacy to view his next memory._

* * *

_This time, he saw the night they had shared a short while ago; he knew not how long he was captive, so he knew not how long ago. They practically fell through his front door as they shared a heated kiss, Lin tripping on the hem of her dress and falling into Roku, sending them sprawling on the carpet in a mess of cloth, the both of them laughing uncontrollably. The ring glinted on her finger as she reached behind her, undoing the ties on the back of the dress while Roku pulled off his jacket, vest, and shirt. Lin finally managed to get it undone, and pulled the garment off over her head. The dress had been made so as to support her bust on its own rather than allow a bra, so she was completely exposed to him. Roku groaned as she ran her hands across his chiseled torso, tracing every muscle as he removed her panties and heels. They paused for a moment as they took in the significance of the moment, before Lin gently leaned over, removing the Crown Prince Headdress from his hair, allowing it to fall down and frame his face._

_Roku lifted her gently off of him just long enough to unfasten his pants, before bringing her down and entering her in one fluid movement. Lin sighed blissfully, bouncing in time with his thrusts, and Roku focused on every technique he knew to increase his stamina. Minutes passed, turning into an hour, then into two. They kept at it, switching up positions and locations, until finally they were in the bed, Roku on top of her and the blanket covering them both. Lin, never quite able to stay completely still, was bucking beneath him, matching his movements and screaming in pleasure. Finally, they both reached their climaxes, thrashing together before they both collapsed._

_Roku rolled onto his back, and Lin crawled onto his chest, resting her head just below his chin. "I love you, Roku," she whispered, and he kissed the top of her head through her hair, whispering the words back to her. They fell asleep, and the memory faded away._

"_Remember that she loves you, Roku," Aang's voice called out to him. "Remember, and let your fire spring forth."_

* * *

Roku awoke with a gasp, his breath coming in great heaves. He was drenched in sweat, and he could hear approaching footsteps from upstairs. Tarrlok evidently made his way down, and he and Korra were speaking to each other as he tried to stand, his head pounding from fever and his visions. Finally, Tarrlok went back upstairs, but the sound of more steps came down, along with the name that both Roku and Korra dreaded to hear.

"Amon?!"

Roku quickly gathered what wits were left to him as Tarrlok was taken down, and Amon told his Lieutenant how to capture them. Reaching down, he grabbed his mask and tied it around his head, before tearing off the strap it hung on when it was on his belt. Wrapping the strap over the top of the bars at the top of the box, he hung there, careful not to touch the box at all as the Lieutenant zapped both boxes. Korra screamed, but he knew almost instantly that it was faked, forced, and that she had likely come up with the same solution he had. He remained silent, even as he would if taking a real shock, before the electricity ended.

He dropped, and at the same moment Korra released her flame on the Equalists, he roared, slamming his fire-coated foot into the metal of the box. It split like matchsticks, his leg sliding through until it reached his hip. Coating his hand in fire, he then punched through the metal, grabbing the jagged edges and tearing the box apart with his bare hands, ignoring the pain and blood. He charged out with Korra, leaping aside as she hurled her ice spikes at Amon. Running toward the woods, he leapt into the air, the flames emitting from his feet and propelling him forward, even as Korra used her Waterbending to shoot through the snow like a fish in the water. Eventually she tripped and went down, and he halted his advancement, running back to her and lifting her out of the snow. "Just hang on Korra," he told her. He heard a howl, and turned to see Naga charging toward them. "Just hang on."

* * *

The adults and Team Avatar had resumed their search for Korra after Tarrlok's escape, and were currently flying over one of the poorer districts of Republic City on Oogi's back. Lin suffered the aftereffects of Tarrlok's Bloodbending in silence, her stubborn nature refusing to seek help from those around her. Her body felt bruised, beaten, and every shift in Oogi's flight pattern almost made her eyes water from the pain. She kept lookout though, her eyes straining for any sign of Korra, or of a familiar blue-masked man running along the rooftops.

An hour had passed by in silence before they suddenly heard Naga's chilling howl, and Tenzin turned Oogi toward the sound. Even from several hundred feet up, they could see a black-garbed figure on Oogi's back, holding Korra in his arms as the polar-bear-dog ran along. They landed in a flurry of dust, and the rider called Naga to a halt, taking off his Blue Spirit mask and gazing at them quietly. "She's safe," he murmured as they crowded around Korra. Mako lifted her from the saddle and carried her over to Oogi, unaware of Asami's pained expression. "Lin," Roku said, turning his head to gaze at her. The woman looked at him in horror, noting how his features were gaunt, his body drenched with sweat and his hair matted to his forehead. "I'm sorry," he murmured, and he began to slide from the saddle. Lin managed to catch him, and it was only then that she noticed the rivulets of blood pouring from his hands, running down Naga's white fur where he had ridden her. "I'm sorry," he murmured again, his eyes half-closed and unseeing.

"You're burning up," she said, placing a hand on his forehead. "Roku, listen to me; I'm not mad at you anymore, you hear me? I love you, Roku. Now, I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" Roku's eyes slowly closed, and he seemed to weigh heavily in her arms. "Roku?" she said, shaking him slightly. "Roku?!"

* * *

Well, there you go guys. I hope you all liked it. Review, and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	8. Chapter 8

Hmm… I don't really have much of an opener prepared for you guys. I'll just say this then; here's Chapter 8 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

"_You're burning up," she said, placing a hand on his forehead. "Roku, listen to me; I'm not mad at you anymore, you hear me? I love you, Roku. Now, I'm going to take you to the hospital, okay?" Roku's eyes slowly closed, and he seemed to weigh heavily in her arms. "Roku?" she said, shaking him slightly. "Roku?!"_

* * *

_Roku stood upon the highest point of the Fire Palace, the night wind gusting lazily around him, whipping his hair and clothes every which direction. At twenty years of age, he was a dashing young man, his father's clone in every way save the scar. He wore the strange leather armor he had found in his father's secret office, stashed away in a safe behind the bookshelves. As he leaned against the wind, balancing himself, he gently lifted the opera mask in his right hand at arm's length, staring at it._ (AN: Think Shakespeare) _"What are you, that he would hide you away?" he murmured, staring at the unseeing eyes painted onto the mask. A tiny voice whispered in his ear, the words inaudible or lost in the wind, he couldn't tell. Slowly, ever so slowly, he brought it closer, before he slowly raised it to his face. His vision darkened as it approached, light focusing into two relatively small points, before the mask touched his face and he could see through the eyeholes. Reaching behind his head, he tied the leather ties, feeling the mask rest comfortably once he was done._

"_Fly," the little voice whispered, and Roku leaned forward, gazing at the ground far below. "Fly," it whispered again, and without the slightest bit of thought or emotion, he leaned forward, allowing gravity to take hold as the wind whistled in his ears. The ground sped toward him, and at the last possible second the flames leapt from his feet and hands, changing the angle of his movement until he was launching straight up. Slight adjustments to his movements were performed by moving his arms, the flames leaping from his fists stabilizing his flight. As he flew over mountains shrouded in mist, a song he had heard as a child returned to him, his mother's sweet voice whispering the words._

_"Far over the misty mountains cold… To dungeons deep, and caverns old… The pines were roaring on the height… The winds were moaning in the night… The fire was red, it flaming spread… The trees like torchers blazed with light."_

* * *

Roku's eyes slowly fluttered open, the lyrics still ringing in his memory. He tried to sit up, but pain flared throughout his entire body, making him cry out in agony. He began thrashing as it steadily increased, lightning seeming to pass through his body, and a half-dozen healers charged into the room, grabbing his limbs and holding him down. The agony eliminated his rational thoughts, leaving behind only the instinct to flee. With a fierce roar, he whipped his arm around, actually lifting and throwing the two men holding it down. More people poured into the room as he struggled, forcing him down, and he roared in anger as he felt a needle stab into his thigh. The pressure of an injection went unnoticed in his pain, but the sedative did its work, slowly pressing on his mind like a warm blanket, gently urging him to sleep. As his eyelids slowly closed, he glimpsed a mess of gray hair, and a scarred face leaning in close. He felt soft lips upon his brow, before the darkness consumed him.

* * *

Lin helped the healers ease Roku back onto his bed, watching as they tied his limbs down with leather straps attached to the bed. Two of the healers were checking the men Roku had thrown, and once again Lin found herself astonished at the sheer strength he had displayed in throwing them. The sight of his taut muscles had made her all hot and bothered, but he had cooled down now, and so had she. Once the healers had done their work, they left her alone to sit with her fiancé.

She found herself doing very little while she waited for him to wake; all she could do was hold his hand as best she could with it strapped down, and watch his lips move silently as he dreamed. "You look so peaceful," she whispered to him, her eyes filling up with tears. "Spirits, why am I crying? I'm not a little girl anymore," she murmured, as she wiped at her eyes with her free hand. "The healers say that you're going to be alright, you know. Turns out that aside from the cuts Korra said you got when you guys escaped, you were suffering from an infection. They think that it was something you came into contact with in that dirty old shack. I made sure that they checked to make sure it wasn't from my cable, but they told me that was it."

"_Even with the modest job he did cauterizing his wound, something still got in there," the woman had told her. "Of course, one should always be careful with fire. Cauterizing is one thing, but burning is a different beast altogether. In all honesty, he should have come here immediately, like his father did when he got his wound."_

"You know, Korra's doing fine, you'll be happy to hear. She got out of the situation unharmed thanks to you. Beautiful irony, the Prince actually _is_ the dashing hero for once."

"And I suppose I was always the villain," Zuko said behind her as he wheeled into the room. He laughed at Lin's mortified expression as he wheeled over to Roku's opposite side, gently resting his left hand on his son's heart. Swallowing hard, Zuko stared at his son's sleeping face, trying not to cry. "Always going out and getting yourself hurt, aren't you son?" Zuko murmured, rubbing Roku's chest. "When you were a child, I always found you with skinned knees. Now I keep finding you bleeding and fighting."

"Fighting… more than bleeding…" Roku murmured as he slowly sat up, scrunching his eyes closed. "Spirits, what did they give me?"

"Enough sedative to knock out a bull," Lin said incredulously, staring at Roku. "It's only been an hour. How are you conscious?"

"Training," he muttered as he observed the straps binding him down. "Firebending from dad taught me how to speed up my metabolism, allowing me to burn off drugs more quickly when I need to while my physical training causes my body to require higher doses to affect me." Roku stuck his tongue in his cheek, his gaze flicking toward the ceiling for a few seconds before he grinned. "There we are," he said, raising his hands above his face and flexing his wrists. Lin raised an eyebrow as she looked at the straps, seeing them still closed even as Roku bent over to undo the ones on his ankles.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if I'm engaged to a master criminal," Lin said offhandedly.

"Never," Roku said, his lips curling into a half-smile as he rose from the bed, rolling his shoulders. The healers had stripped him of his leather armor, leaving him in his black trousers and white undershirt. Lin's eyes traced his muscled arms and chest as he flexed, while Zuko wheeled over to the cabinet, opening it and tossing Roku his clothes and armor. As Roku dressed, Zuko wheeled out to secure his son's release. Lin pouted as Roku began to cover himself, and Roku's grin widened as he noticed, dressing slower to tease her more. "I'm thinking tonight might be a good night to show you the changes I made to Kuang's," Roku told her as he finished dressing. "Consider it my apology for putting you through everything I did." Lin opened her mouth to argue, but Roku cut her off. "Look, I know you forgave me. Really, I do. Just let me make it up to you, alright?"

"I've got your release orders," Zuko said, rolling back into the room. "Your home has been prepared for your return, and Lin saw to it that your charges were dropped while you were unconscious."

"How long was I out before I was sedated?" Roku asked, tying the mask to his belt since he had torn off the regular strap.

"Only a day," Zuko said, wheeling out as Roku walked up behind him. Roku grabbed the handles and pushed his father along while Lin walked beside them. "After your announcement, some reporters caught wind of it and you've been all over the radio. It took a great deal for me to try and hide the fact that you're here. Despite all that, there was a cluster of reporters out front when I went to secure your release, so I recommend taking a more discreet exit." Roku nodded, untying the mask from his belt.

"I'll pick you up tonight at six o'clock," Roku told Lin, kissing her lips gently. "Until then." Without another word, he slipped through an open window, falling into the pre-dawn darkness. _Still early, _Roku thought as he hid behind a number of bushes, waiting to confirm he was unseen. _Given the lightness of the shadows, I would say dawn is about an hour off._ Running across the plaza, he quickly scaled a nearby building bringing him up into the skyline of Republic City. Far, far away he thought he saw something moving against the horizon, but when he tried to spot it, he was unable to see anything. He waited for ten full minutes before he decided that it was just his imagination. _I __**am**__ still tired, _he thought to himself as he ran along the rooftops, occasionally using his Firebending to propel him to a higher rooftop. _A nice nap is just what I need…_

* * *

Roku jerked out of bed as he heard the sound of the bombs. The house shook as each individual charge went off a mile away, and Roku knew immediately that they were getting closer. _No time for my armor, _he thought as he grabbed his blades and shirt, quickly dressing. _Just pants, shoes, shirt, and weapons… leave the mask, won't help… the photos, what did I do with the photos?!_ He quickly bulled his way downstairs, slamming against the wall of the stairwell as the house shook again. _Half a mile…._ He stumbled on the last steps, sprawling across the floor. As he rose, Roku saw Azulon scurrying back and forth, shoving Roku's few photographs into a fire-proof safe imbedded in the wall. _That'll guard them well enough, _he thought, grabbing his nephew's arm as the man closed the safe.

"We gotta go, now!" he shouted, pulling his nephew as he ran. Azulon quickly began running as well, and they just made it through the door as a bomb landed directly on the house, the shockwave sending them flying. Spinning through the air, Roku howled in pain as he felt a shard of wood penetrate his left shoulder, jamming in farther when he landed on a parked Satomobile. His head shattered the window, and Roku's vision flickered for a moment even as his ears rang. _Up, get up, keep moving, _he thought to himself, rolling off the car. _Miraculously, the glass didn't cut me. The wood… don't remove it, it'll just cause you to bleed out. _Casting his gaze around, he saw Azulon slowly pushing himself to his feet.

"Uncle," he called, his voice scratchy as smoke poured from the now-burning shell of the house. "I'm sorry… the attack was announced a half-hour ago, and I didn't know you were home. I got the pictures, the Crown Prince Headpiece, and the blueprints for the suit, but your clothes, your Satomobile, everything…"

"They're just things," Roku said calmly, staring at his home. More bombs fell, but they were behind them now, growing farther away. "Azulon, I want you to get out of the city. Republic City isn't safe for Benders anymore, and you'll stand a better chance if you escape."

"And what will _you_ do, Uncle?"

"What I do best. I'll fight." Without another word, Roku launched himself into the air, allowing his Firebending to propel him up higher than any of the blimps were flying. He halted around ten thousand feet, observing the city laid out below him. _The bombing is heaviest in the districts where only Benders choose to live. The mixed districts are getting a lighter coat, while the districts Tarrlok consigned the non-Benders to are left untouched…_. A blimp was beginning to pass below him, so Roku released his flames, feeling gravity beginning to take over even as he leaned so his head was facing the earth. The wind howled in his ears as he surrounded himself in flames, speeding toward the steel of the balloon portion. When he finally reached the blimp, it had passed halfway beneath him, so he punched directly through the center, going and going until he punched into the cockpit, then the floor of the cockpit. Once he was out, he immediately launched himself away, taking control of his flight as the blimp began to crash.

For twenty minutes he flew around the city, taking down another blimp, and a number of the mecha-tanks. The fires below made the air currents erratic, and he found it harder and harder to maintain flight in the worsening conditions. Just as he was about to land, he saw a blimp heading toward Air Temple Island. _Looks like I've gotta coax just a little more cooperation out of the air…_

* * *

Roku landed on the island just as Tenzin was bustling his family onto Oogi. "Good, good," Roku said as he strode over to them. "The world still needs Airbenders, no matter what I feel about you, Tenzin."

"You truly are starting to irritate me, Roku," Tenzin said, leaping down from Oogi. "Will you never forgive me for what happened between us?"

Roku opened his mouth to respond, but he paused when he saw Lin climbing into the saddle, taking up a guard position. Her battle-stressed expression softened when she saw him. Her hair, strewn into a small mess as a result of her fight, fell across her face in just the right way to perfectly frame her face, making her appear even more beautiful to him. "You know what, Tenzin?" Roku said, gazing at his fiancé. "I think I have." Walking past Tenzin, he leapt into the saddle beside Lin. "Looks like we'll miss dinner," he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. Lin smiled, gently pressing her lips against his as Tenzin leapt back into the front of the saddle, snapping Oogi's reins. They took off, leaving the city behind them.

Roku leaned against the raised leather edges of the saddle, closing his eyes as the wind gusted through his hair, sending it flying every which way. He practically sunk into the leather in his exhaustion, his arm wrapped around Lin's waist the entire time. "Spirits, I'm tired," he murmured into her shoulder. "I think I'm just about ready to fall asleep."

"Looks like that's not going to be an option," Lin said as she swiftly rose to her feet. Roku turned, catching a glimpse of the two blimps quickly gaining on them. Roku rose to his feet as they launched a net at Oogi, which Lin shredded. They both exchanged a look, glancing back at the Airbender family, and gave each other a nod. Together as one, they leapt from Oogi's back. Lin quickly caught the retreating net with her cables as Roku blasted his Firebending, launching onto the opposite blimp as she landed. Rearing his fist back, he punched at the blimp she was on as she tore the metal; a small, jet-like flame appeared in front of his hand, glowing brightly, before it turned into an enormous torrent of fire, consuming the blimp as Lin leapt to the blimp he stood upon. He turned in time to see her taken down by Amon's Lieutenant, and he roared in anger, charging forward even as the man jammed his electric batons into Roku's chest.

Roku automatically redirected the electricity into his hands, launching it out to the side in an attempt to keep from electrocuting them all, but he lost control when someone hit a point in his back, stopping his chi. Unable to redirect the flow, he stiffened as the electricity coursed through his muscles, forcing him down. He collided hard with the metal, unable to move even as they dragged him below. His vision flickered, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

He regained consciousness shortly later as they were dragged before Amon in the courtyard in front of the temple on Air Temple Island. _Fifteen or so Equalists… Amon's Lieutenant, and Amon himself… furthermore, they took my blades. This won't end well._ Roku grunted as he was shoved forward, sprawling in the dirt in front of Amon. Lin was forced to her knees beside him, and Roku slowly rose, moving in front of her. "Leave her be, Amon," he said, creating the flame daggers his father had often used in his youth.

"Arranged easily enough," Amon said, standing calmly before them both. "Tell me where the Avatar is, and you both get to keep your Bending."

"No," Lin said, trying to rise. She grunted in pain, sinking back to her knees. "We'll never talk."

"Korra's location will remain with us, Amon," Roku said. "That being said, you and I both know that I'm the one you're after here. Spare Lin, and I'll let you take my Bending. Without a fight."

"Roku, no!" she exclaimed, grabbing his leg, trying to haul herself up. "Roku, don't do it! You're a Prince, Roku, you can't do this! You're more important than I am, don't sacrifice yourself for me!" A vein stood out in Roku's neck, and he pulled away, cutting the flames.

"Come on, you son of a bitch."

Amon chuckled, removing his gloves slowly as Roku knelt before him, tilting his head back. Amon moved behind Roku, putting his fingers on him surprisingly gently, before Roku felt the pinch, the sudden emptiness. His eyes widened, and he slouched as he felt his energy leave him. The world seemed colder, darker, and his body felt sluggish. "I promised to spare Lin, and so I shall," Amon said, walking past her. He stopped when he was a step past, and turned, standing behind her. "I shall spare her of the fate the Non-Benders have prepared for the Benders." Roku's eyes widened as he saw Amon grasp Lin in the infamous stance, and he roared in fury as he saw her slump forward. Roku launched at Amon, roaring like a bear, and collided with the man in a full-body tackle, sending them both to the ground. Roku punched Amon's mask as hard as he possibly could, releasing a feral grin as he heard the mask crack.

Amon shoved Roku off of himself, rising to his full height, and the two squared off, lashing back and forth in a mix of chi-blocking, boxing, and various other martial arts. The other Equalists scurried out of the way, watching the two fight like saber-tooth moose lions. Roku managed to sweep Amon's leg, making him land hard on his back. Roku slammed his foot down toward Amon's head, shattering the mortared stone as Amon rolled away. Amon quickly leapt to his feet, slamming a powerful right hook into Roku's chest. As Roku gasped for air, he felt a strange sensation overcome him just as Amon swept his leg. Amon grabbed Roku's shoulder and legs, but Roku felt no actual muscle behind the grab, causing him further confusion as Amon lifted him into the air. All of a sudden, the sensation passed, and he felt himself being pulled down. His lower back collided forcefully with Amon's knee, and he screamed in agony as he felt his spine break.

Amon dropped him unceremoniously to the ground, causing Roku to scream further as pain shot up his ruined spine. Tears ran down his face, and he was unable to move his legs. "Take him to the cell we've planned," Amon said. They began to drag him away, but Lin managed to rise, stumbling over to him.

"Roku, Roku listen to me! I'll save you, I swear I will!" Several Equalists tried to subdue her as she struggled, and Lin stared her lover in the eye, tears falling from her own eyes. "I love you, Roku! I swear, I'll save you!" The Lieutenant pulled him over the first step, and Roku passed out from the pain.

* * *

Well, there you guys have it. Hope you enjoyed. Since this story has been compared to Batman so much, I thought I'd add a little more to the comparison. Review and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	9. Chapter 9

_Previously…_

_"Roku, Roku listen to me! I'll save you, I swear I will!" Several Equalists tried to subdue her as she struggled, and Lin stared her lover in the eye, tears falling from her own eyes. "I love you, Roku! I swear, I'll save you!" The Lieutenant pulled him over the first step, and Roku passed out from the pain._

* * *

Roku awoke in the dark, cold and broken. He shivered, his breath misting before his face in the winter air. _Take stock,_ his mind told him. _You're inside, that much is clear. Your face is pressed against a wooden floor. It's cold… possibly a basement or attic. The pain…_ The memory came back then, the agony of feeling his spine break on Amon's knee, the slight gleam he had seen in the man's eye as the collision occurred. "Move, damn you, move," he whispered to himself, trying to convince himself it was some nightmare. He tried to lift his legs, but felt nothing. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, and crawled forward, coming into contact with steel bars.

"You shouldn't move," a familiar voice said behind him, and he flipped himself over to see Tarrlok. "And that right there is even worse for your spine," the man said, grabbing ahold of Roku's shoulders and forcing him to lie down. "Just relax, alright? If you keep moving, there's no chance at all that your spine will ever heal."

"Why should you care?" Roku groaned as he was pushed onto his stomach. He felt a rope looped under his arms around his chest, and he cried out as he was hoisted into the air, the rope tied to the steel bars. "What are you doing to me?!"

"Look, I may have been a Bloodbender, but I was a Waterbender before that, and I learned a lot of healing techniques in my village." Tarrlok's fingers probed his spine, hovering on the place where Amon had broken his back. "True, I no longer have my Bending, but I have the knowledge. Now… you have a protruding vertebra. I'm going to have to force it back in." Without warning, Tarrlok slammed a hand into his back with such force that the bars rattled, and Roku screamed until he felt blood pouring down his raw throat. He was in a hell all his own, screams managing to creep past his torn throat even as Tarrlok sat back in his corner, curling up tight to try and keep himself warm.

"Please… kill me…" Roku rasped, his eyelids flickering closed. "End it…"

* * *

Lin sank to her knees as she saw the jagged remains of Roku's home. Debris was scattered as far as a hundred feet from where the bombs landed, and everything able to burn was left only as a pile of charcoal now. One wall had managed to remain upright, covered in soot and punctured by sharp metal debris. Within that wall she saw a blackened safe, and she strode over to it, managing to pry its door off its damaged hinges. She tossed the door away carelessly, digging through what was left. First she pulled out several blueprints, immediately recognizing them as the technology he had planned on adding to his Blue Spirit equipment. She quickly stuffed them down the front of her armor, the papers resting between her breasts and the steel she could no longer remove. Next she found that curious little hairpiece he had worn on their date, and she tucked that into a pouch on her belt. Finally, she came across the few photos.

A tear traced down her cheek as she saw his most prized possessions. The first photo was a family portrait of Roku, Zuko, Mai, Ursula the elder, Ursula the younger, and Uncle Iroh. They all were dressed in Fire Nation Royalty clothing, even Iroh, though he looked as though he rather would have been in his Jasmine Dragon uniform. Roku was still a baby in the photo, so his mother held him in her arms, her lips curled in a loving smile as she gazed down at her son. Behind that photo was the photo of the two of them at his birthday.

A third, new photo had been added to the modest collection; this one had obviously been taken by Azulon. It was a photo of the two of them asleep the night Roku had proposed. The blanket on the bed was enough to preserve modesty, but the tears began to flow freely when she saw how he had wrapped his arms around her, saw her peaceful expression. Roku's lips rested against the nape of her neck as he slept, and Lin carried the photos over to a motorcycle she had managed to… "liberate" from the Equalists after they dumped her back on the mainland. Gently putting the photos into a stiff bag to make sure they wouldn't bend or fold, Lin kick-started the bike, speeding off to a place she thought she might find some help.

* * *

_"Mommy, will you sing me a song?" a young Roku asked as Mai tucked him into bed. The woman smiled down at her little five-year-old, sitting on the mattress next to him. She sang softly, her high, sweet voice lulling him to sleep._

_"Far over the misty mountains cold… To dungeons deep, and caverns old… The pines were roaring on the height… The winds were moaning in the night… The fire was red, it flaming spread… The trees like torchers blazed with light."_

* * *

_A thirteen-year-old Roku stood in front of his father in the center of a fenced-in square in the Palace gardens. Roku wore a pair of black trousers and wore no shirt, displaying a semi-muscled torso. Thin black fuzz had grown on his lip, and his hair was pulled back into a topknot. Zuko was dressed the same. He had grown the fu manchu he would have later in life, but back then it was trimmed to a shorter length than it would be in the years to come. Streaks of grey were shot through the Fire Lord's hair. Both men drew dual training Dao swords, taking a fighting stance as they waited for the other to move._

_Having a teen's patience, it was Roku who moved first, charging his father with both blades held to his side. As he reached his father he tried to do a double inward slash at Zuko's hips, but Zuko brought his blades in front of him, pointing straight up as he blocked the strikes. Roku moved in closer, putting himself in between his father's blades and pushing into Zuko's chest with his shoulder, forcing Zuko back. When Zuko's back hit the edge of the fence, Roku tried to sweep his father's leg, but Zuko managed to slide with the motion, grabbing his son and pulling him as he went, forcing Roku against the fence as Zuko stepped back and rained down blows on his son. Roku grunted as his blades began to slow, and Zuko gave his son a few soft raps on the arm._

_"You're doing better," Zuko told his son once they were done. "I'm very proud of you."_

_"But when you were my age you were already so powerful," Roku mumbled, kicking a loose pebble before bouncing his heel off of the bench he sat on. "I just… I'm **weak**, Dad."_

_"Roku, listen to me," Zuko said, kneeling before his son so they were at eye level. "Everyone has their own pace and their own skills. So what if you're not a Master Firebender at thirteen? You are a brave, strong young man. I've never seen anyone who could climb like you can. When I was your age I couldn't have climbed the towers, but how often have I had to walk up the steps and tell you to come down from there?" Roku smiled, and his father mussed his hair. "Your mother was proud of you too, Roku. She loved you more than anything in the world. Never forget that, son."_

* * *

_I never have,_ he thought in the present day as he awoke. He was still hanging from the bars, but the pain in his spine was gone, and he could move his legs when he tried, though they were clumsy, awkward. "Tarrlok," he rasped, licking his lips. "Water. Food and water." The ex-councilman untied the rope, helping Roku to stand before pointing out the tray that had been left for him. Tarrlok then retreated to his corner, stabbing aimlessly at his own tray.

"I still don't like you," Tarrlok said as Roku ate. Roku nodded, swallowing painfully before rubbing his raw throat. "The only reason I fixed your back is because I knew it would anger Amon."

"I know why Amon made sure to hide me away from the world. Why hide you as well?" Tarrlok sighed, and launched into the story of his childhood, and a brother named Noatak.

* * *

Korra groaned as she rose from her sleeping area, her arms brushing against Naga's stomach as she stretched out. Rubbing her stiff neck, Korra worked her way through the maze of underground tunnels until she found the baths, each large enough to fit four. The waters were foggy from the minerals in the ground here, but it was clean, and it was warm. Shedding her clothing and sinking up to her nose, she sighed blissfully as the warmth worked its way through her stiff muscles. A little Waterbending healed the bruises and whatnot left over from Amon's coup. They were still waiting for the United Forces to arrive, and her nerves were starting to fray.

"You're a tricky person to find, Korra," a voice said behind her, and she turned to find Lin standing behind her, dressed in her armor and the trench coat she had worn since she retired. There was a strong scent of sweat about the woman, and Lin was dusted from head to toe in dirt. "I'm going to get straight to the point," she said, "since I'm sure that you're noticing I haven't been able to bathe since I lost my Bending. Roku and I were captured while assuring Tenzin and his family escaped. Amon took Roku's Bending under the understanding that I would be spared. Amon took my Bending anyway, and when Roku fought him man-to-man, Amon broke his spine." Korra's expression turned horrified, but Lin continued on. "I need your help to rescue him, Korra. I know he's being held somewhere on Air Temple Island."

"I wish I could help you, Lin, but we can't get over there unnoticed," Korra said, rising from the water. She quickly dressed, turning her back to the older woman in a small semblance of modesty. "Even if I were to use my Waterbending to get us on the island, the place is crawling with Equalists. Until the United Forces arrive there's nothing I can do." Lin silently closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking in a mixture of anger and the effort of holding back tears.

"Korra, I… please, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important. He's all I have. I love him." The teen awkwardly wrung the water out of her hair, before sighing.

"Alright, listen. I've been practicing a little bit of Metalbending ever since Roku began training me in Firebending. I can get you out of the armor, and I can take you on one or two reconnaissance trips, but they can't be more than that. Without the Avatar State, which I can't use yet, I'm not strong enough to take on those kinds of numbers by myself, and without your Bending…"

"It'll work for now," Lin said, removing the trench coat and holding her arms out to the side. "Once you get me out of this, though, I'm taking a bath first."

* * *

Zuko sat in his wheelchair inside of a hidden cargo hold in a smuggler's ship. Azulon shivered next to him, though Zuko recognized the falseness of the action. "You're very good at security," he murmured to his grandson. Roku taught you well." Azulon grinned slightly at his grandfather's praise. "You know, sometimes I think that you were Roku's child, rather than Ursula's. Tell me, Azulon, how much of yours and Roku's animosity is real?"

"Not as much as you would think," Azulon replied, stopping his shivering and adjusting to reveal the bared dagger hidden in his clothes. "In public, I pretend to hate him so people think I won't help him. In private, I occasionally get upset with him and treat him coolly, though that's usually only when I know that I'll have to take his place as the Blue Spirit for a night. Aside from that… I'm happy enough to call him my uncle."

Zuko nodded, bringing a dagger onto his lap. The handle was made of pearl, and inscribed on one side were the words, "Never give up without a fight." He turned the dagger over in his hands as he silently contemplated it, before speaking. "This dagger was given to me by my Uncle after he took the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se. When we were in hiding, we used it to cut out topknots. I gave it to a young boy so he could defend himself, and the dagger was stolen from him. When I took it back and tried to give it back to him, he refused to take it." Zuko was silent for several more moments, before he raised it in his hand, bringing it around to his topknot.

"My sign of mourning my son," he said, before he quickly began to saw through his hair. The white waves cascaded around his face as it severed through, and Zuko seemed to age even more in the few seconds before he handed the blade to his nephew. "Disguise yourself as well, Azulon. For now, you are Lee, and I am Mushi."

* * *

Roku ate what the Lieutenant gave him, ignoring the man's anger at his healed back. Tarrlok had been taken out of the cells earlier when Amon had found out, and when he came back he had a fresh collection of bruises and minor cuts, though the man's brother had taken great care to assure they were nothing more than that. The former Councilman never mentioned them, so Roku refrained as well. There was no telling time in the cells, even with a clear head, so they passed the time talking. On what Roku figured was the fifth day of his imprisonment, they brought in a Pai Sho set, so he and Tarrlok played that, Roku displaying the talent he had inherited from his Great-Uncle.

"I never was very good at this game," Tarrlok grumbled after his third loss. Roku smiled, his lip twisting into a crooked grin like the ones Aang used to give him.

"I learned from Avatar Aang and my Great-Uncle Iroh," he said as he reset the board. "Whenever Aang beat me he just gave me a lopsided grin, and whenever Iroh beat me he would tell me about the game and make me drink obscene amounts of jasmine tea." Tarrlok let out a bark of laughter at that, and Roku let the man make the first move. "You know, it was Iroh who got me my first pet. He had this friend who was a member of the Order of the White Lotus who was getting married in the North Pole, so he was invited to the wedding. It wasn't that old Waterbender who married Katara's grandmother, it was some other obscure friendship. Anyway, he went on a hunt with the men afterward, and he came across this little wolf pup all alone on the ice. Being the soft-hearted, doting great-uncle, he brought her home for me, and I raised her."

"Wolves can be pretty dangerous," Tarrlok remarked casually, trying to hide his frustration as Roku made a brilliant move. "I always thought they were beautiful creatures, but once my father made me practice Bloodbending on them I came to fear and loathe them. It took a long time for me to realize I didn't hate _wolves_; I hated myself." They were silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. "You said the wolf was a girl. What did you name her?"

"The most beautiful name I could think of as a lovesick boy of nineteen," Roku replied as he defeated the man again. "Lin."

"Ah yes," Tarrlok said, giving the prince a knowing smile as they started another round. "I figured you had feelings for that Beifong woman. Well, I apologize for the way I treated her in the beginning. I was so obsessed with trying to do what my father couldn't that I failed to see what a remarkable woman she was. She would have made a great ally." Tarrlok took a sip of his tea, grimacing slightly as Roku moved a piece. "Alright, you've got to be cheating."

"Nope," Roku said as Tarrlok made his own move. "Anyway, I raised Lin from a pup to a beautiful she-wolf. I trained her to get along with people, though I made sure she hunted her own food outside of the herds so she would be self-reliant. I actually went on a lot of missions with her when she was young. If it wasn't for her nose, I never would have found my Aunt Azula when she escaped. Once she was too old for that, we traveled to the North Pole to study there. She must've found a mate or something there, because one night she gave birth to a litter of pups of her own. I set most of them free, but I kept one. Named it after my mother. Raised it, and after Lin died at thirteen her two-year old daughter took her place. I've been breeding them and raising them ever since. I'm actually on the third generation now that I'm training Mai's daughter, Kya. Mai died at fifteen, and Kya's still a young pup… must be two or three now." Roku paused for a moment, a solemn look in his eye. "You know, when we came here I regretted that I left Kya at the palace. Now that all this is happen, I think it's probably the smartest thing I ever did with that pup."

"Well, she's safe enough," Tarrlok said. "Come on, we're going to keep playing until I beat you at this."

* * *

Korra sighed as she once again sunk into the bathwater. A week and a half had passed since the fall of the City, and since the fourth day she had been conducting daily reconnaissance missions with Lin. The United Forces weren't expected to arrive for another two days, and Lin was beginning to get on her nerves. Korra rubbed the dirt off her skin with the foggy water, before she sunk even further, the waterline resting just under her chin.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice called out behind her, and her eyes shot open in surprise as she turned to see Asami standing in the doorway.

"Uh… yeah, sure," Korra said, averting her eyes as the other woman undressed, sinking into the  
bath. "So… what's up?" Korra asked, unfamiliar and uncomfortable with her current situation.

"Not much," Asami admitted, washing her hair. "I just _really _need a bath after today. I know my days aren't nearly as exciting as yours and the Chief's, but I figured a girl's just got her days."

"Yeah, I get that," Korra muttered, closing her eyes as she relaxed, sinking up to her nose. She heard Asami's own content sigh as the woman also relaxed, and they spent several minutes in silence.

"So… Bolin told me that you and Mako kissed," Asami said, and Korra snorted in surprise, choking as water went up her nose. She coughed for several seconds as Asami gave her a concerned glance, before Korra paused, noticing Asami's look. _She already knows it's true, _she thought to herself.

"Well… it wasn't what you're probably thinking," Korra admitted, awkwardly rubbing her neck. "You see, I, uh… I had feelings for him before you met him, and I was kinda jealous that you got to him first. But listen, I can see you're happy with him, and he seems happy enough with you. I really am sorry it happened, and I swear, I'm not trying to steal him from you or anything. I just… I don't know, I just feel the whole situation is awkward." She thought about Mako, and she briefly recalled a training session with Roku.

* * *

_"What… what are you doing?" Roku asked her as she jabbed at him, sending a small gout of flame at him. "That has no power behind it. Your stance is wrong, too. You're bouncing. You're not creating the strength needed to perform powerful attacks."_

_"I was trying to imitate some of Mako's techniques from ProBending," she replied, awkwardly staring at her feet. Roku snorted, shaking his head, before assuming a sturdy stance, his feet apart and flat on the ground. He made a swift, powerful jab, and sent a wave of fire spinning through the air._

_"Mako's a good enough showman, but he has no actual talent," Roku said as he went back to standing casually. "His attacks lack power, range, really anything that would be expected in a combat scenario. His lightning generation is only strong enough to be used in an industrial setting. It's more of a Taser than an actual attack. If I were to use lightning in its full capacity, I could burn a hole the size of my fist through someone's chest." Roku narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed his student. "You like him, don't you?"_

_"A little bit," she admitted, rubbing her neck in embarrassment. "I mean, he told me he has feelings for me too, but he also likes Asami, and it's just-"_

_"He's scum," Roku snarled out, shaking his head. "He's playing on both your emotions and Asami's. He's doing the same thing to that poor girl that Tenzin did to me, and he's going to leave her broken-hearted before he does the same to you. Listen to me, Korra. You become Asami's friend. You become close, and you work together, because let me tell you something; the world's going to work against you because you're women, and it's easier to have an ally than to fight everybody."_

* * *

"I gotta go," she said, wrapping a towel around herself as she climbed out of the water. "I have to make sure everything will go smoothly enough for the arrival of the United Forces, and Lin will probably want to do another recon soon."

"Alright," Asami said, watching her go. Korra quickly dressed and darted out, escaping the memories and the worries for what little time she could.

* * *

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Review, and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey everybody. Sorry for the wait, but I hope you guys have enjoyed the previous few chapters. The reviews have definitely slowed down, so I can only assume that you enjoy them. Well, without further ado, here's the new chapter of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

_"I have to make sure everything will go smoothly enough for the arrival of the United Forces, and Lin will probably want to do another recon soon."_

_"Alright," Asami said, watching her go. Korra quickly dressed and darted out, escaping the memories and the worries for what little time she could._

* * *

Tenzin groaned as he regained consciousness, feeling his old body ache as a result of the electricity that had been used to incapacitate him and his family. He was bound in a cell, just barely lit enough for him to see his children slumped over beside him. _Pema,_ he thought anxiously, trying to find his wife. He heard Rohan's cries in the next cell, and he managed to push himself up against the corner of the solid wall and cell wall made out of bars. "Pema?" he called softly, trying to manipulate his body so he could see into the next cell. "Pema, are you there?"

"Tenzin!" she cried out, pressing against the bars of her own cell so that he could just barely see the edge of her face. "Tenzin, are you with the children? Are they all right?"

"They're fine," he assured her, working his wrists to try and get out of the bindings. "They're asleep right now. Amon hasn't taken out Bending yet. I promise you Pema, I'll do everything within my power to protect them. I love you."

"I love you too," she told him, and he just barely saw the tears flowing from her eye. "Now go back to sleep, dear. You'll need your strength."

* * *

"Three hundred," Roku murmured as he did yet another push-up. His back and palms were slick with sweat, and his hair hung lank around his face, outgrown and matching the dark shadow of stubble on his jaw. His back was fully healed, though, and in just three short days after however long he had relaxed, he had completely rebuilt the muscle mass and function he had had. Tarrlok chuckled as Roku leapt to his feet, rolling his neck, before beginning to do pull-ups, using the top bar of the cell.

"I've seen soldiers who weren't as fit as you," Tarrlok told him as the former Councilman took a sip of tea. "And don't even get me started on the ProBending 'athletes.'"

"I don't object to the idea of the sport," Roku said between grunts. "If you look at it from a strictly technical aspect, it does showcase a number of dodges and minor techniques that are quite helpful for beginning Benders. The problem is that the _athletes_ get the mindset that they are the Bending Elite, and the fact that they are claiming such titles with such weak Bending greatly lowers the esteem of the art of Bending. I saw some of your Waterbending on some tapes from your raids, and you were an artist, Tarrlok. I was a prodigy in Firebending, Tenzin is as good an Airbender as Aang was, and Lin used to display fearsome Earthbending before her choice of career limited her selection of techniques. Do _we_ gain recognition? No, we just have to sit back and listen to all the hype about Mako and Tahno." Roku released the bar, falling lightly onto his feet, before he sat down and ate the usual meal that had been left for them earlier.

"I remember all the stories _we_ used to hear growing up. Back then, every Bender wanted to be Aang or Toph or Zuko or Katara. Now… well, there are just no more legends. Katara hasn't left the South in almost twenty years, Zuko hasn't Bent since who knows when, and all the others are gone. The world used to be a bigger place," Tarrlok sighed, leaning against the wall.

"The world's still the same," Roku responded before he drank down his tea. "There's just… less in it."

"You know, if things had worked out differently, I think you and I would have been great friends," Tarrlok murmured, pushing his food around. "I should have been honest since the very beginning. My intentions were to do the _right_ thing for the city, but in the end I gave in to my father's hate."

"Well, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The greatest men aren't those who try to carve a name for themselves, but those who find themselves a legend quite against their will. As the Blue Spirit, I managed to do a great deal in the Fire Nation, and I managed to do a few small things here. I originally chose the Blue Spirit guise for the freedom it provided, but when I first saved someone while in that guise I found that I had the potential to be a great man, something that a Prince can only be when he has suffered to take that title, like my father did. Perhaps, Tarrlok… perhaps losing your Bending will provide the catalyst you need to be a great man."

"Well, I can only hope that you are right," Tarrlok murmured, favoring him with a half-smile. Just then, a woman walked in with their usual lunch, setting it down in the tiny gap at the bottom of the bars designed for the trays to just pass through. "Finally," Tarrlok murmured, biting into the meager meal of bread and fruit.

"You have very beautiful hair," Roku murmured as the woman stood. Reaching through the bars, he moved his fingers through it, moving it slightly so that it framed her face more. The woman blushed, and quickly darted away. Roku smiled, sitting down and quickly eating.

"What was that about?" Tarrlok asked him bemusedly. Roku just smiled, and held out his hand, showing the former Councilman the hairpin now resting in his palm.

* * *

Lin silently stared at the Equalists walking back and forth on the island above her, never thinking that if they glanced at the rocks by the shoreline they would find a woman shivering in a set of Water Tribe clothes and a trench coat. _At least Korra had something that fit me,_ Lin thought, glad to be free of her armor. Since she had next to no clothes since the attack, Korra had leant a set of her own equipment, surprised that the woman could relatively fit into them. Lin absently tugged once again at the hem of the shirt, which just barely missed the waist of the trousers, exposing a half-inch of skin. Midnight was fast approaching, and Lin decided that she should start picking her way back to Korra's location before it became too dark for her to see.

As she moved slowly and silently between the rocks, she heard a slight scuffing noise from ahead, and as she quickly ducked down, she saw someone dressed in Equalist clothing, sans mask, sliding down the rocky bank, jumping to his feet once he reached the shore. Dusting his clothes off, he quickly and furtively looked around, before turning toward a shrub. She heard him unzip his pants, and heard him sigh as he relieved himself. Gently pulling a two-foot length of wire she had cut from her cables, she quickly prepared the crude garrote, sneaking up on him just as he finished. Before he could zip his pants back up, she launched forward, throwing the length of wire over his head.

In an instant, his hands were up, his wrists reaching his throat just before the wire did, nullifying her attack. As she swore under her breath, he yanked his arms forward, causing her to slam hard into his back. Releasing the wire, she wrapped one arm around his neck, the other reaching around to support her elbow even as he reached down, grabbing her thigh and twisting while leaning back, bringing them both crashing down. Lin gasped in pain as he landed on top of her, forcing her to release her choke hold, and he twisted. She grunted in disgust as she felt his fleshy organ brush her leg as he twisted to face her even as he raised an arm to finish her. The man paused, and just as Lin took advantage of opportunity with a swift knee to the groin, the moon appeared from behind the clouds, illuminating her fiancé's face.

"Damn," he croaked as he keeled over, curling into a ball. "Good hit."

"You want me to kiss it?" she growled out, punching his shoulder. "Why the hell didn't you say something?! How the hell did you escape?!"

"No time," he managed to get out as he zipped up his pants. A few moments later he stood, hobbling slightly as he walked. "They're bound to have notice my escape by now, and since you're here now we're both in trouble. Not to mention Tarrlok; that fool decided to stay behind and try to appeal to his… to Amon." Lin rose an inquisitive eyebrow at his slip of the tongue, but didn't say anything. Instead, she looped one of his arms over her shoulder and quickly escorted him to where Korra was waiting for her.

"How did you rescue Roku?!" Korra whisper-shouted as she saw them coming. "Never mind, quickly, quickly, we have to get out of here before we're found." Within a few seconds, she had a dome of water formed over them as they quickly moved beneath the waves, and all took on a dark, bluish-green tint as they slowly walked back toward the city inside their little bubble.

"I managed to escape by picking the lock on my cell with a hairpin stolen from a guard," Roku said once he was able to walk on his own. "Once I was in the dark hallways, I waited in the rafters until a lone guard walked below me. I dropped, knocked her out silently, and stole her clothes. Ironically enough it was the same guard I stole the hairpin from. The pants are a little tight, but the bra fits fine," he joked, causing Lin's mouth to twitch slightly. Korra just rolled her eyes, silently focusing on maintaining their bubble while creating a small flame in her free hand to try and see better. "By the way, I _am_ going to want that 'kiss' later," he said, wagging his eyebrows at Lin. Lin blushed, swatting his arm, and Korra turned visibly green.

* * *

Noatak's nostrils flared behind his mask as he stared down at his brother's slumped form, Yakone's youngest son barely recognizable behind the cuts and bruises. "Leave us," he growled in Amon's commanding tone, and the Lieutenant gave him a quick bow before ushering out the other Equalists and closing the door behind him. His hands reached up, undoing the ties on the mask, and a moment later the item fell away. He instantly felt the captured heat dissipate, leaving his make-up-scarred face to feel the cool air in the attic. "Oh, brother," he murmured, shaking his head disappointedly. "Roku was an enemy to both our goals. How oh how could you just _let_ him escape?"

"Can't you see what you're doing, brother?" Tarrlok said, gazing into the eyes of the man who he had once known as an innocent boy. There were so few of the familiar features visible, the makeup marring the boy and leaving behind a cruel, hard man. "You've become a greater evil than even our father."

Noatak growled, and his hand swung out, dealing a stinging blow to Tarrlok. The younger man fell over, his face aching, but as he watched his brother's face once again disappear behind the mask, he though he saw something, just the slightest hint of _something_, of the boy his brother had been in Noatak's expression. Amon left, locking the cell door behind him, and in a moment he was gone, leaving Tarrlok alone once more. "I hope you're right, Roku," he murmured as he fell exhaustedly onto his blanket. "I hope I really _can_ be great."

* * *

Asami gazed across the cavern to where Mako lay asleep, his back to Bolin as Bolin slept with Pabu curled up on his chest. She felt as though she was about to cry, to shout, to just leave… she didn't know what to do. Roku appeared beside her, slowly sitting down and wincing as he aggravated his still-sore muscles. "How are you, Asami?" he asked as he rolled his neck. Asami just shrugged, bringing her knees up to her chest before resting her chin on them. Roku nodded, rubbing his freshly-shaven chin. "So, Korra tells me that you two had a conversation about Mako." He put a slight drawl into the end of Mako's name, and Asami cast him a sideways glance, both curious and wary of what he had to say.

"You're not going to tell me to dump Mako so Korra can date him, are you?" she asked him. "Despite my relationship difficulties, I'd punch you, Prince or not."

"I have no doubt you would," Roku said with a sly smile. "Personally, I believe the both of you should have nothing to do with that boy. He's a cocky, stupid, weak, womanizer, who bullies his brother and plays on both your emotions and Korra's."

"He is none of those things, and he doesn't play on our emotions!" she said defensively, glaring at the man. "He just doesn't understand women that well. And all siblings fight."

"My sister helped my father raise me once my mother died, and never once did we ever have any such conflict. She was a kind, gentle girl who always helped everyone she possibly could. Those aspects allowed her to grow up to be an incredibly strong woman who has earned her title of Fire Lord. She was an outstanding mother to her son, and Iroh became a General in the United Forces thanks to her nurturing." Roku sighed, moving to stand up. "My intentions are not to cause you anguish or pain, Asami. I just hope that you'll remember my words before you do anything you might regret." He began walking away, and Asami paused for a moment, before speaking.

"I… don't think I know him anymore. What should I do?" Roku turned back for just a moment, before he spoke.

"What you think needs be done."

* * *

Tenzin groaned as Amon motioned for the Lieutenant to cease electrocuting the Airbender. Tenzin's breathing was ragged, and he felt as though a shroud of unconsciousness were pressing in on him, urging him to submit. "You won't last forever," Amon said, squatting and gently grasping Tenzin's bearded chin. "You're an older man, Tenzin," he said softly, almost caringly. "I'm afraid that your heart will give out if you receive much more of this treatment. Then what will become of your wife and children? Just tell me where the Avatar is hiding, and I'll let you go."

"You… lie… heard about… Roku… you'll just… take our Bending…"

"If you don't tell me, then I promise I will. Do you really want to be the one to put an end to the Airbenders? What would your dear father think of you then?"

"Don't you… dare… my father would… have done what was necessary…" Tenzin's vision slowly began to dim.

"No, he wouldn't have," Amon said quietly. "When it was necessary to kill Yakone, Aang couldn't do it. He just took away the man's Bending, like the coward he was. Even Ozai, whose crimes were greater than anything Yakone ever committed, was spared by your weak father." With that, Amon pinched a nerve cluster in Tenzin's shoulder, causing the man to lose consciousness. "Return him to his cell," Amon said, rubbing his hands. "Give him time to think about what he has to lose."

* * *

Lin strode through the corridors of the underground, looking for Roku's room. As she passed by the baths, she heard the soft playing of a guitar. Curious, she followed the sound, until she came upon Roku's room. Opening the door, she gasped as she saw dozens of different-colored candles burning brightly, with Roku sitting on a chair, playing the instrument she had heard. He smiled as she walked in, closing the door behind her, and he began to sing.

"When I look into your eyes… it's like watching the night sky… or a beautiful sunrise… there's so much they hold… and just like them old stars… I see that you've come so far… to be right where you are… how old is your soul? Well I won't give up… on… us… even if the skies… get… rough… I'm giving you all… my… love… I'm still looking up…"

Lin softly grasped the neck of the guitar, gently pulling it from his arms, before straddling his waist. Softly, ever so softly, she kissed his forehead, smiling slightly as his eyelids fluttered closed. Next she kissed each eyelid, gently placing her fingers on his jaw. Roku sighed gently, wrapping his arms around the small of her back, and finally she kissed his lips, her eyes watering as she felt the love he conveyed with the simple action. "I missed you so much… I was afraid I'd never see you again…" she murmured, tears falling from her eyes.

"Hush, now…" he whispered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I, Roku, take you Lin, to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love." Lin gasped, covering her mouth as her tears fell anew, though this time they were tears of joy. "I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you, laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully, through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. I will always be there, come what may. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep."

"You may kiss your bride," she said, and once more they were locked together, until eventually they found themselves on the bed. They undressed quickly, but with each other there was a slow, measured tenderness to every action. Lin held Roku close as he moved against her, and he gently traced her neck with his lips as he thrust, making Lin shiver and gasp. Gently tracing every muscle on his back, Lin's restless fingers gently probed his skin, confirming yet again that her love was whole, and undamaged from his ordeal. "I promise, I will make Amon pay for what he did to you," she murmured.

"Don't talk about him now," he said gently, running a hand over the curve of her hip, across her stomach, and onto her breasts. "Just focus on this. Focus on us." Lin gasped as he thrust harder, while his skilled and callused fingers gently moved across her breasts, finding all her sensitive areas. "I know you better than any man ever will," he murmured, gently kissing her jawline. "I know every inch of your body as I know mine. I know your heart, and I know your mind. I love you, Lin Beifong, and a thousand lifetimes would not suffice to tell you enough."

"I love you like I've never loved any man before," Lin murmured. "I won't let you go again."

* * *

Sweat rolled down Korra's back as she rolled through the forms of a complicated set of techniques Roku had assigned her. Her calves burned from the jumps the forms required, and whenever she landed from a jet-assisted jump, her calves stung, making her stumble slightly before she would continue onto the next move. Finally, she came to the last move, a continued burst of flame from a hard, swift punch, and her arm shook as she kept the torrent continuing for a few seconds. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead from the heat, but finally she released the flame, panting heavily as she slouched against a wall.

"Wow," an impressed voice said from off to the side. Korra glanced over to see Asami staring at the scorch marks on the surrounding walls. "I've never seen Firebending that powerful before." Korra grinned slightly, taking a long draught from her waterskin before speaking.

"Once a Firebender's physical fitness is established, it becomes possible for all kinds of acrobatic attacks to be used. Roku taught me methods to increase my endurance and manipulate fire in ways I never had thought of. The trick to any Bending style is the mind; if you can conceive it in your mind, it's possible to manipulate the element in the right way. That's how Bloodbending was created, along with Toph's Metalbending."

"It's very impressive all the same," Asami said, leaning casually against the wall next to Korra. There was an awkward pause for several seconds, before Asami sighed. "I broke up with Mako."

"Oh." Korra said, unable to come up with any kind of intelligent response. "Well, what happened?"

"Roku brought up some points that I couldn't really argue with," Asami said, kicking at a small pebble next to her shoe. "I was trying to defend Mako's good qualities to myself, but I just couldn't seem to make the good balance out with the bad. It's just… I guess he's not the right guy for me."

"Well, I _am_ sorry if it caused you any distress," Korra said, wiping her brow. Rolling her neck, she moved toward the center of the room, practicing the movements of the pattern again, this time without summoning the flame. Asami watched as the young Avatar moved, dissecting every detail of Korra's body as the girl stretched, twisted, leapt, rolled, and attacked. After a few minutes, Korra paused, before assuming the starting position. "Would you like to practice the forms with me?" she asked Asami. "While you obviously won't be able to use the element, the exercise will probably help take your mind off of Mako."

"Uh… sure, why not?" Asami said, shrugging off her jacket and moving next to Korra. The two moved slowly, Asami copying Korra's movements almost perfectly, and as the two women fell into a comfortable silence, Korra couldn't help but think that it could be the start of a great friendship.

* * *

Well, there you have it folks. Review and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


	11. Chapter 11

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. I've been bouncing a lot of college and scholarship applications around, so I haven't been writing as much as I'd like. I hope, though, that the quality is making up for the waits. Well, I suppose you all have waited long enough… without further ado, I present Chapter 11 of Return of the Blue Spirit.

* * *

_Previously…_

"_Uh… sure, why not?" Asami said, shrugging off her jacket and moving next to Korra. The two moved slowly, Asami copying Korra's movements almost perfectly, and as the two women fell into a comfortable silence, Korra couldn't help but think that it could be the start of a great friendship._

* * *

Roku dressed quickly, strapping on all of his various equipment that Lin had managed to smuggle from her trips to Air Temple Island. His Daos were strapped to his back, some padded armor from Equalist clothing – good, but not the quality of his own – and finally, he picked up the mask that had cursed and blessed. He held it at arm's length, staring into the empty eyes and painted face. "Damn and bless you, for you are all that any man has it in him to be," he murmured, turning it slightly so the light gleamed off its almost porcelain-esque surface. "You mock me incessantly, whispering in my ear to do things that should not be done. You free me of inhibitions and responsibilities, shrouding me in a veil of secrecy that allows me to rise up above the rank of Prince. Once you were merely a tool to create a Spirit. Now, I truly believe that is what you have become."

A peculiar gleam made the mask's grin appear to almost widen, but it was gone as soon as it appeared and he wrote it off as an illusion. Lin's fingers appeared on his arm, and he sighed as she wrapped him in a gentle embrace. He continued to gaze at the mask, before, with a great deal of effort, he placed it back onto the table, quickly walking out.

* * *

Korra sighed blissfully as she stretched, arching her back over the stone floors of the tunnels as Naga let out a long yawn, her long tongue snaking out of her mouth and quivering for several seconds before she was done. "I'm tired too, girl," she murmured, scratching behind the polar-bear-dog's ear. "Are you hungry?"

"I know I am," Roku's voice sounded behind her, and Korra turned to see the man sitting down beside her, balancing two bowls of stew on one arm while tossing Naga a slab of meat with the other. "Don't worry, I made the stew myself," he said as he handed the Avatar a bowl. "Beef stew, to be precise. Hope you aren't a vegetarian. Or have an allergy to potatoes, carrots, onions, or broth." The older man inhaled the scent deeply, his eyes closed, and Korra felt as though she were interrupting something strange.

"Should I leave you and the soup alone?"

"Stew," he corrected, scooping a spoonful. "Never underestimate the power of stew. My great-uncle had his tea, I have my stew. Try it." Korra rolled her eyes, but obliged, scooping a spoonful of Roku's concoction and sipping the broth. It had a warm, savory taste to it, and as she bit into a small square of beef, which one onion had stuck to, she tasted the broth mixed with the meat's own juices, alongside the sharp tang of the onion. She made a satisfied sound, and continued to eat even as Roku did, the man drinking the broth straight once all the food was gone from the bowl. "The heat is good down here," Roku said as he finished, "and the broth actually helps treat and prevent colds. I know that you and Asami have been making great strides in your friendship with one another."

"She's actually pretty fun to hang around with, once we got over Mako," Korra replied, finishing off her own bowl. "We've been practicing the forms you taught me without the Bending as a means of exercise. She's very… athletic."

"Well, given her history in martial arts classes as a means of self-defense, I'm not surprised. Adding onto that her daredevil nature, as she displayed when you were in that Satomobile race, and it's fairly obvious that she would either go at the forms with everything she has or she would possess an athletic nature. Both of which proved true."

"You're very analytical," Korra stated, gently petting Naga's head lying on the floor beside her.

"Considering the fact that I have been training you to think similarly, one would certainly hope," Roku stated, pulling a toffee roll out of his pocket. He offered one to Korra, and she gratefully accepted it, chewing on it even as he continued to speak as he unwrapped the candy. "Analysis of a person's mannerisms and physical traits often give an adequate enough look into their mindset to be able to combat them in various scenarios and come out of said scenarios victorious."

"Have you come to any conclusions about Amon that might help me?" she asked. Roku slowly chewed on his toffee, and Korra detected a hesitance when at last he spoke.

"Amon is just as analytical as I am. He possesses a great deal of cunning, great athletic ability, and the mentality of someone who knows he possesses these traits. He is fearless in conflict, completely sure as he enters each battle that he will come out victorious, and for good reason. Korra, what I'm about to tell you _has_ to remain secret until the right time. Despite Amon's deep-seated hatred to Benders, he actually is a Waterbender, specializing in Bloodbending."

* * *

Tenzin sat in his cell, watching his children sleep, and gently pressed his head against the metal bars, feeling the cool steel press on his burning forehead. His breathing was labored, and he felt weaker with each passing day, feeling the effects of both his continued torture, and sickness from the conditions of the dungeons they were in. _I might die here,_ he thought to himself, oddly calm. _I… I'm so sorry, father. I… I tried to bring peace, to uphold your legacy. I failed you._

"_You've done everything I could have asked," _Aang's voice said, and Tenzin saw a misty shape through his half-closed eyes, unable to muster the strength to open them completely. _"Tenzin, you have your peace. You have kept Republic City intact longer than I thought it would after my death. You kept balance, you kept peace, and you've done everything you could to pass on the knowledge of our people. You won't die here, son, and even if you did, you would die successful."_

Tears began to trickle down his cheeks, and he felt the slightest sensation, as though his father had kissed his forehead the way Aang used to when Tenzin was still a boy, and then the mist was gone, and he was alone with his children. _I won't die, _he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep. _For once in my life, I'm too angry to die._

* * *

Roku paced back and forth angrily on the shore as he watched his nephew's fleet come under fire. As each ship went up in flames, he grew more and more agitated, until he saw Iroh make a mistake, and send a blast of fire at a bomb that was too close. As his nephew disappeared in a ball of fire, Roku suddenly felt a deadly calm. Pulling Lin's garrote from her belt without her noticing, he walked down to the very edge of the water, where a few Equalists were crawling to shore.

As the first one stood, Roku slugged him in the jaw, the force of the blow sending him twisting around. In an instant, the garrote was around his neck, and Roku pulled as hard as he could, muscles straining and a vein appearing on his neck as his vision flickered red. Three other Equalists saw their friend in danger, and charged him. With one firm yank, the man was dead, and Roku released him, drawing a throwing knife and hurling it in one smooth motion. One dropped with the knife in his heart, and Roku drew a wicked-looking knife from his belt, slashing through cloth and throat and into bone, the blade becoming lodged in the spine of the second.

The third and final Equalist came forward with a chi-blocking jab, which Roku sent to his right, grabbing the wrist in his right hand and slamming the palm of his left hand into the woman's elbow. A sharp crack resounded as the bone broke, and the woman cried out in pain, falling to her knees and cradling her arm to her chest. Roku tore the mask off her face, and paused as he saw that it was the woman he had stolen the hairpin and clothes from. "We meet again," he murmured as he tossed the mask away, the object landing in a small collection of water in the sand.

"You just can't seem to stay away," she managed to grit through her teeth, and his eyebrow quirked at her attempt at humor. "I've never seen you kill before. I was there at Kuang's the night you subdued my colleagues; I was the only one who didn't attack. When Amon started the bombing, he made especially sure to raze that restaurant to the ground. But despite the conflict in that restaurant, you didn't kill anyone."

"It takes a lot to make me snap," Roku growled as he flexed his shoulders, tearing the wicked blade from the throat of the last. "Take my Bending, fine. Take my fiancé's, and I come for blood. Wound or kill my family… the blood will be all of it, instead of just some." Roku felt a buildup of energy behind his eyes, slowly becoming a raging headache that made his vision flicker and the veins stand out on his neck. "I have a side to me that does not come out under normal circumstances. The last person to make me this angry was my aunt. I believe you've heard the story of how she met her end."

"Roku, no Equalist is worth this," Lin said, gently grabbing his arm. "Let her go. The others have paid, and Amon will follow soon enough." Roku growled as he contemplated her words, torn between sheer bloodlust that demanded to be sated and the calm logic that Lin presented, normally the ruling factor in his actions. A few seconds later, Korra shot out of the water in a torrent of Bending, Iroh gasping for breath and nursing a burn, but otherwise unharmed. Roku sighed, before he used the garrote to bind the woman's hands.

"Take her away," Roku said to no one in particular as he went to his nephew. "Easy, Iroh," he said as Korra transferred the man to his uncle before shooting back into the water to find more survivors. "Just breathe, son. Breath and focus, breath and focus. You know I have to cover the burn. I have some ointments and gels, but you need to stay still." Iroh nodded, removing his military shirt and jacket, exposing the wound, and Roku set about the necessary treatment, Iroh stifling shouts as he did so. "There you go, son. Not as good as my sister's treatments, but it should suffice."

"It's good to see you, Uncle," Iroh said as he managed to rise to his feet. "I just wish the circumstances were better."

"So do I, son." Korra arrived then with the rest of the survivors, and in a heartbeat Roku was a Prince again. "Soldiers, gather up those who are wounded and get them into the tunnels! The Avatar and I will cover your retreat. Lin, go with them and serve as guide. Do whatever is necessary, should you be attacked within." As people scurried to obey his command, Roku turned back to the planes coming toward them. "Korra, I would appreciate it if you would leave most of them for me," Roku said as he adjusted his stance slightly.

"Roku, you can't Firebend anymore! What do you expect to do?"

"You're right in stating that I can no longer Firebend, Korra. However, anyone can learn Energybending." She gave him a surprised expression, and he glanced back, making sure that everyone was gone and out of sight. "Korra," he began, removing his gloves and wiping his mouth on his sleeve, "I need you to promise me something."

"What?" she asked.

"Don't punch me." With that, his lips suddenly slammed against hers in a searing kiss. Her eyes widened in shock, and she instantly felt the urge to ignore her words, until she felt a strange sensation. Heat pooled in every part of her body, and an almost electric surge ran from each pore and to her mouth. She heard a sound akin to a death rattle, and Roku pulled back, his eyes shining with a pure white light and a trail of the same light running from her mouth to his. A burst of energy pulsed from his body, sending her tumbling back, and he shot into the air, fire bursting from his feet and tendrils of water rising from the sea before them. He roared, a sound distorted as if made by a hundred different voices, and in an instant of chilling realization, it dawned upon her that he had somehow used her to achieve the Avatar State.

An arm shot forward, hurling an entire section of the street at one of the planes, the vehicle exploding in a ball of fire. Bombs came flying at him, but he spun, launching his hands forward as he returned to his original position, and a tornado sprang into being, sucking up the bombs and another several planes. The remaining pilots decided to flee, and as they did so he shot lightning at them, his bolts taking down two of the remaining five. As the last of the vehicles disappeared, he slowly floated back to the ground, the lights disappearing from his eyes as hit feet touched down.

Korra ran forward to catch him as he fell forward, and the instant her skin touched his there was another burst of light, this time flowing from his body to hers, and she somehow knew that all of the power was being returned to its rightful bearer. His appearance was gaunt, haggard, and his chest heaved as he gasped for breath. "Down," he managed to whisper. "Into the tunnels."

* * *

Several minutes passed in uncomfortable silence as he hobbled along, one arm around Korra's shoulders for support, while the other was knotted in his shirt, putting pressure on his chest as though pained. "Your power is not meant to be harnessed by mere men," he managed to say after a good fifteen minutes of silence. "My heart is just a hair away from giving out. Hold a moment; I need to rest." She sent him down gently, leaning him against one of the walls, and she did a quick diagnostic with her Waterbending as he rested.

"Spirits," she murmured, the light from her healing abilities casting everything in the dark tunnel with a pale, bluish-green hue. "Your heart has taken a massive amount of damage, your muscles are torn, and you're just shy of internal bleeding."

"Heal my heart as best you can, and leave the rest for later," he ordered, hissing as her fingers gently probed his chest. "The rest will heal in time, but you have to heal my heart now." At her expression, he rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Korra, heal me now. I'm going into cardiac arrest."

"Oh no, nonononono," she said frantically, the glow intensifying. "Roku, it's going to be okay."

"Let's hope," he managed to gasp out, before he fell silent, biting his lip to keep from crying out. When she was done, he seemed to sink into the wall, all energy gone from his body as she shook, adrenaline still coursing through her body. "Are _you_ okay?" he asked, snickering at her expression.

"Before you ask," he said, "what I did was something even I don't fully understand. Aang explained the concept as that of a leech, but a temporary draw on someone's power rather than a permanent one. I had thought that perhaps I could borrow your Firebending for a few minutes, but I instead found myself drawing on the collective power of all your past lives. I was consumed by all of it. The next thing I remember was you grabbing me as I fell, and all of it returning to you."

"I'm so sorry," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't want you to have to suffer anything like that. Lin will probably kill me."

"Leave Lin to me," he managed to laugh out, wincing in pain as he did so. "She'll be mad at me for a little while, but we'll work it out. It was a stupid mistake on my part; I should have figured out that it would work differently on the Avatar. Now, help me up. Oh, and Korra?"

"Yes?"

"Let's not tell Lin exactly _how_ I leeched your power, shall we?"

* * *

Well guys, I hope it was a good chapter for you guys. A little shorter, but it's a filler as I flesh out how I'm going to approach the finale. Review, and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.


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